The EinzbergPlaneswalker Story Prolouge
by harald hoerwick
Summary: This is a new story I'm writing that is MTG/Mahou Sensei Negima crossover with my own original character: a planeswalker named Owin. Constructive Critism & reviews are desired & appreciated! Rated M for bloody deaths, cussing and general seriousness.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima or Magic:The Gathering. Only one character here is my own & that is Owin. He you cannot use, Akamatsu-san!

-1The Einzberg-Planeswalker Cycle

Prolouge

It had all truly began with the crisis of the Rifts. They were the site of the great battles that the Multiverse had seen, grand battles held by the god-like beings known as Planeswalkers. Their power was so great that it created a tear in the fabric of time & space, rifts that threatened the Multiverse's existence. Three brave planes walkers then set about trying to find others who would be willing to seal the rifts, at the cost of the very lives. After a lifetime of a painful existence, the planesalker known as "thrice touched by fate", sealed the last of the rifts, & began a process known as the Great Mending. However, this Mending had an ill-effect on the creator beings of the Multiverse: The Great Eternities. Their power was severly weakened, & mana, the source of all life & magic, was distorted. After planes walkers began to feel this great change, the Multiverse was then split into three parts.

First was the core; the planes in which the five colors of magic were at they're strongest. These encompassed all the worlds nearest the center of the multiverse: Dominaria. Here Planeswalkers were free to use their full power, & here many knew of their existence, as well as the existence of the five colors.

Then their was the inner rim, the worlds in which the Blind Eternities held little sway. In these worlds, magic did exist, but it was in an unknown state. The five colors were blended together to create a magic that was nothing like the five colors, & here mana was greatly restricted, & so Planeswalkers were unable to draw upon the mana of the land without causing inreperable damage to the plane. Due to the little sway the Blind Eternities held, it was nearly impossible for planes walkers to be born here.

Then finally there was the dead zone, known as the outer rim. Here the Blind Eternities held no sway at all, & magic was non-existent. Here planes walkers were like cancer; a planes walkers prescence alone in one of these worlds could cause the entire plane to collapse, & so planes walkers avoided these worlds at all costs. Thus no planes walker could be born in these worlds.

So the Great Eternities were given boundaries, as were the great beings known as Planeswalkers. Thus we begin a story of two brothers, twice touched by fate. These brothers would cause an untold amount of suffering for many, but their's is a story that must be told. & so we begin, in a plane in the inner rim.

He was sleeping quite soundly in the shadow of a huge tree. He had a short brown hair, as well as a well-worn traveling cloak. He was also in possesion of a long walking cane, which was really a magic staff. This man was a magician, known throughout the world for his courageous deeds & near-insurmountable power. Now though he was sleeping soundly under the bask of the large oak tree, in a valley that was overlooked by a large Victorian castle in an unknown part of Europe. He was planning to explore that castle until he decided he should rest, when suddenly it happened. He felt a large concentration of energy suddenly form near him, rousing him from his sleep.

"Wow, this is some concentration of power" the man though to himself as the took hold of his staff. He already had many attacks on his life & he meant to be well-prepared for another one. Then suddenly, a man appeared out of thin air, litterally, as though the very air was but a doorway for him to walk through. He could see that the man was visibly in a panic. He wore large billowy clothes which the sleeper identified as mage cloaks. The traveler's face was in a panic, he looked as though he were crying, yelling cries of "Stay away!" & "Please, I beg you, mercy please!". The traveler rushed by the sleeper as though he never noticed him, & continued running away from whatever pursued him.

"That guy definetly needs help" said the traveler, when suddenly he began to feel even more magical power coming. Whatever this prescence was, it was substationally more powerful than the man it was chasing. "Whatever this thing is, I'll stop it here. Sad to say, but I just can't ignore a guy in need" the sleeper said with a smile as he brought up his wand. Suddenly, whatever was chasing the man stepped forth from the air again, & the sleeper almost couldn't contain his anxiety.

This man was more monster than anything. He appeared to be eight-feet tall, however, it was impossible to determine if he was even human. He was covered completely in full armor, armor as dark as midnight. He carried one of the hugest swords the sleeper had ever seen, as black as the armor itself, & was at least twenty-five feet in length & eight feet in width, & it looked impossibly heavy. The scariest thing about this man, however, was the sheer amount of black…_something _billowing off of him. It twisted & turned like smoke, but the sleeper could feel untold amounts of magic power within the smoke, & it twisted all around the man, through his armor & through his sword twirling around him & moving his long, black cape to where it seemed alive. The man was completely black except for his eyes which were a horrible, murderous blood-red.

Finally the man spoke, & his voice was a low, gutteral growl which caused the ground to shake, & made the sleeper want to cover his ears in pain.

_**Get back here, Ralim!! We shall continue the duel to the death as we agreed!!"**_ the shadow being said as he began to walk after the man. The sleeper knew that there was no way he could let this being live. Whatever it was, it would definetly kill anyone who got in it's way, & the sleeper would not allow anyone to get hurt.

"Alright buddy, I don't know who you are, but you're not getting past me" the sleeper said as he began the early chants to a spell.

"_**Get out of my way, insect!!" **_the shadow said, & suddenly, the sleeper's body was completely ripped apart, as though there were a bomb inside him that had just exploded. Blood had covered the grass where they were, the shadow continued on its way, & the sleeper knew no more.

Finally Owin was able to stop. Ralim's head was firmly grasped in his hand, the severed neck was freely bleeding onto the floor while Ralim's beheaded body lay on the floor, staining the emerald grass a dark wet ruby red. The fool had challenged Owin to a planeswalker duel, & upon seeing that he would lose, the fool took off. There were many things that Owin couldn't forgive, & one was cowardice. Then suddenly, he sensed it. "How can-no…it's weak. It won't ignite. Hmm…" Owin said as he pondered his thoughts & the meaning behind what he felt. He then decided. "It looks like I'm going to have fun in this world" he said as he headed off to the large school campus that was there.

He had finally arrived at the large school building. He was currently using his shadow abilities so that no one notice that he was there. It appeared to be what at was known as an "all girl's school", where the young girls apparently came to learn. Owin had certainly hit upon good fortune. There was a large posting near at the school entrance that decreed that they were in search of a bodyguard for a paticular class , 3-A.

"As far as I know, that person is in that same class. Fate smiles upon me" Owin said with a smile. & so, the planeswalker known as Owin stepped through the school gates, which proclaimed at the top: Mahora Gakuen.

--

This is the first part to a pretty long story that I am going to be writing. Owin is a planeswalker that I created, but the setting is obviously from Mahou Sensei Negima. This is going to be a Mahou Sensei Negima/Magic the Gathering crossover that I hope people will like. Also note that in this story, I changed what effect the mending had on the Multiverse: The Blind Eternities were weakened as opposed to the planeswalkers. Constructive Critism will be greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

The Einzberg-Planeswalker cycle

Chapter 1

Owin was now in the main office, & was talking with the principal of the school, a very old man with an extremely large forehead. Owin had disguised himself in order to hide his frightening true appearance, & was disguised as a very well built man in his early thirties with premature white hair that reached down to his ankles, as well as a leather trench coat & large black boots. It was a look that Owin had come to appreciate after some time with the humans. "Well then, you look completely qualified for the job" the old man said as he studied Owin. "However, you do know that the opponents you will have to deal with aren't exactly normal, yes?" he asked. "You can be rest assured that I can handle whatever they do" Owin said nodding his head. "What I mean to say is that, are you a mage?" The old man asked. "If you mean a magic user, then yes I am" Owin said. _This old man has no idea_, he thought in his head. "Well if that's the case, then congratulations, your hired" the old man said as he then reached for a strange machine on his desk that Owin had learned to be an "intercom". "Negi Springfield, Negi Springfield, please come to the principal's office" he said, & Owin could hear the old man's voice ring out throughout the entire school. "About your magic, just how proficient are you?" the old man asked with a smile. "Enough to stop whatever comes to attack me" Owin said. In truth, Owin was strong enough to destroy this entire plane of existence if he truly wanted to, but why should he say more than what was needed?. "I hope so. The are a great many people interested in the children within this school" the old man said as he leaned back in his chair. Then a knock came to the door, & after the principal said for the knocker to come in, Owin so a young ten year old boy walk toward the principal. He wore small glasses which hung on his nose, has shaggy brown hair, & wore a green suit that oddly matched his appearance. "You wanted to see me sir?" the boy asked. "Ahh, Negi-kun, you've arrived. This man is going to be the bodyguard I'd told you I was hiring. Can you please take him to your classroom?" the old man asked & Owin rose from his chair.

He walked with the young boy, who Owin had found out to be the teacher of the class Owin was supposed to guard. "I'm very pleased to meet you. My name is Negi Springfield. What is yours?" the boy politely asked Owin. "My name is Owin" he replied.

"So then Owin-san, let's work hard together to protect the students, okay?" the boy asked. This made Owin close his eyes as he tried to control himself. Owin had always had an extremely high temper, but now was not the time to let that show. "I don't need the help of a ten-year old kid, Negi Springfield. I assure you I can handle it myself" Owin said curtly, which finally shut the kid up. After that, Negi didn't speak to him for the rest of the trip.

They had finally arrived at the class, when Negi held an arm out in front of Owin. "Please wait outside for a moment, I'm going to introduce you to the class" Negi said as though nothing had happened before. Owin waited outside & heard all the girls greet the young boy teacher. "Hello, everyone, today we are going to have a special guest. He's the bodyguard that was hired for the class. His name is Owin". Owin then entered the classroom. His boots made a loud echo in the classroom & he noticed that many of the girls appeared to be frightened of him. "Please introduce yourself, Owin-san" The boy said. Owin then quickly scanned the room. None of the girls possessed any unusual power level except for one girl with long black hair & a slightly air headed expression, & one girl who looked far younger than any of the other girls, & who Owin immediately recognized as one of the Nosferatu, a vampire. Then finally he saw the one he was looking for, the girl who's' presence he had felt upon entering. She sat next to the airhead & had midlength black hair which was mostly shuttled to one side, & there was a sword next to her in a bag. _At the very least she seems to be some-what capable with a sword_, Owin thought with a satisfied expression. "Umm, Owin-san, please introduce yourself" Negi had said. Owin didn't even want to bother with it, so he simply went near the window & sat in an empty desk that had been left for him, & then promptly went to sleep.

As Negi stood in front of his desk watching as Owin sat down without a word, the other girls had no idea what to make of the rather large man that entered their class. Naturally, however, being the class president & the Negi-fan that she was, Ayaka couldn't let this stand.

"Excuse me, Owin-san, but if we're expected to leave our safety in your hands, then I think you should have the common courtesy to introduce yourself to the class" Ayaka said in her always professional tone. Owin simply looked at her for a few seconds, then went back to sleep. "Oi, Owen-san! Have some manners & introduce yourself!" Ayaka said, slamming her hands down on the table. "Come on, Iincho, maybe he's just really shy, y'know?" said the always bubbly Makie. "Yeah, maybe he's just not used to girls" said Haruna. "Even so, he should still show some respect to Negi-sensei" Ayaka said angrily. "Do you ever shut up?" Owin said angrily, his faced still buried in his arms. Truth be told, Owin's anger level was beginning to reach its peak. If what he was here for wasn't so important, he would have killed the annoying brat a long time ago. To think that she was badmouthing a planeswalker this way was inconceivable. If she knew the things that he had done & was capable of, he knew that she wouldn't be so bold.

"What did you just say?!" Ayaka said, rising from her chair. "Please, Iincho-san, leave him be. We already know his name don't we?" Negi said, trying to calm the president down. "Okay, Negi-sensei!" Ayaka said in a sing-song voice as the class laughed. Ayaka was always a pushover when it came to Negi. "Well then, let's begin class" Negi said getting his textbook.

At last the class was over. Owin didn't know if he could take another moment of having to listen to it all. The girls were all chatting away about whatever useless things they talked about, & Owin left the class. As he left the building however, he suddenly came face-to-face with the nosferatu girl & what seemed to be her accomplice, a female robot. "Owin-san, there's something I need to talk to you about" she said with a devious smile. "What is it that you need, Evangeline A.K. McDowell?" Owin said. The girl looked slightly taken aback at the question & Owin scanned her mind as to why. It seemed as though the people of this country always referred to each other through honorifics, which was strange to Owin because in his home everyone referred to each other simply by name. Also, she found it odd how he knew her name so quickly. In any case, he followed her to a deserted part of the school with but a lone tree & a flower-bed.

"I wanted to ask you some questions" Evangeline said after a while. "That is rather obvious, don't you think?" Owin said impatiently. Her eyebrow raised at this remark but she continued on ignoring it. "I can definitely sense that you are a magic-user. The old man would never have hired you otherwise. However, I don't sense the normal magics surrounding you. What kind of magic do you use?" she asked. "I feel no need to explain that to you" Owin said. At this Evangeline gave a small chuckle. "You're not very polite, are you? You must not know who I am" She said with a small smirk.

"You are Evangeline Athanasia Kitty McDowell, a daughter of the Nosferatu, & a feared one in this world. You are also known as the Queen of the Night, The Doll Master, the Dreaded Vampire, Dark Evangel, & the "Maga Nosferatu". You have gained a large reputation as a feared & evil vampire mage & have had numerous large bounties placed on your head. You became a vampire at the age of ten & we're doomed to keep that appearance & you are also around five-hundred years old. Correct?" Owin raddled off. This made the smirk on her face disappear for a second though she was quick to regain it. "That's all public knowledge" she said then-

"You were cursed to remain her at Mahora Gakuen by Nagi Springfield following your loss to him. When his son appeared here, you attempted to take his blood in order to free yourself but you were defeated. You then began to teach the boy magic due to some lingering sense of love you had toward the young boy's father" he rattled off again.

This time the smirk did not come back. "Who the hell are you?" she said angrily.

"I am simply a meddler here on a mission. My concerns have nothing to due with you" he said calmly.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Indeed. Unless you mettle in my affairs, they will have nothing to do with you, & you won't be affected. Due you plan on interfering?" he asked.

"No. it doesn't matter to me what you mortals do. As long as your plans don't affect me, I won't bother".

"Good. Now that we have had this little talk, I will be off" Owin said, & he promptly turned around & walked away. Evangeline stood there watching him leave & then turned to Chachamaru. "We need to keep an eye on him. I'm sure he's not completely human" she said as she walked away. "Yes, Master" Chachamaru said as she followed.

The talk with the vampire was most interesting, Owin had decided. As far as he could tell, she was the only one who knew he wasn't all together human, however, he was ninety-five percent sure she didn't know what a planeswalker was. She appeared to think that she could at least have a chance of taking him on, & Owin preferred to keep it that way. If she ever tried to fight him, it would then be easier to catch her off-guard if she thought that she stood a chance against him. He could simply kill her within two seconds, however Owin rarely liked to make a kill that quickly. He preferred to have fun with those that he killed. After a while he teleported to the roof of the school & prepared to rest. So far, everything was going according to plan.

It was the next morning when Owin had decided he didn't want to wait anymore & entered the classroom. He had thought it was empty when he noticed that there was an apparition in the room. He saw it clearly as a young school girl who had been dead for around fifty years. She had appeared to be bored when Owin entered the room & was immediately frightened of him when he walked in. The closer he got the more she began to tremble. "You have no reason to be frightened of me, Aisaka Sayo" he said to her as he took his seat. She gasped as he said her name. "You mean, you can see me?" she said in a light shy tone. "As clear as day. You have no reason to be frightened of me" he repeated. "I'm sorry, it's just that you look really scary" she said with her eyes downcast. "Many people tell me that. Are you bound to this school or are you a ghost that can move around freely?"

"I am bound to the school but I can move outside as long as it isn't to far".

"That must be horrible to have to stay in this class for so long".

"No, actually it is quite fun. The girls are all really friendly & funny too!" Aisaka said with a smile.

"I find them to be rather annoying" Owin said with a sigh.

"Well, maybe you just need to get to know them. You were rather stand-offish with them yesterday".

" I was stand-offish with them because they were so annoying".

"That's rather mean".

"I am a mean person".

"I don't think so. You seem rather friendly to me" Aisaka said with a smile.

"Well thank you for that. Would you happen to know when classes are supposed to start?"

"I believe they start at nine a.m."

" I see. I'm rather early".

"It's boring when it's empty isn't it?"

"A little".

After little more than ten minutes the other girls began to come in, all of them talking about whatever random thing girls they're ages talked about. Owin simply decided to sleep to pass the time. Finally after all the girls came in, in came the boy teacher, who was greeted enthusiastically by the girls. After greeting them all, he once again began to teach a foreign language Owin identified as English. Owin was conducting a small scan of the girls within the class. Only a few of them seemed to be combat trained, while some others were also knowledgeable with magic. He wondered why in this world they would teach the children something as useless as history & science. In his home world, such things were taught by the parents, while the children focused instead on combat training. Truly this world was much different than his own world.

After classes had ended, Owin was surprised to see that he was then approached by the Nosferatu girl, the boy teacher, & the girls he identified as Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Haruna, Yue, Nodoka, & Ku Fei. "Excuse me, Owin-san, there's something we wanted to discuss with you" Negi said as Owin watched them all. "We want to see just how strong you really are" Evangeline said, obviously cutting to the chase. "How do you propose we do that?" Owin asked, intrigued. "You know of magic, don't you? We want you to come to my resort first" Evangeline said with a grin.

It seemed this was beginning to get interesting. "Fine" Owin said.


	3. Chapter 3

_Einzberg-Planeswalker cycle_

_Chapter 2_

_The resort was something that Owin quite frankly didn't expect. They had gone to Evangeline's small cabin home & approached a little thing that seemed to be a doll house encircled in a glass housing. Owin was surprised to discover, however, that it in fact transported them into the mansion-like doll house within a different dimension. It had surprised Owin because this was so similar to planeswalking. Truth be told, Owin himself had created his own plane meant for his own relaxation just like this, but never one that was capable of slowing down time. He had never pursued such a bonus due to his immortality, but he never thought some inner rim plane was capable of such a thing. Truly, this world was full of wonders._

"_Now then for the reason we are here" Evangelion said after they had finished entering the realm. _

"_If you'd like I have an easier way of showing you my power" Owin said as everyone began gathering weapons from strange little cards._

"_What do you propose?" the girl named Setsuna asked. Now here was the hard part. If everything was going to go exactly according to plan, this moment would be key._

"_Negi Springfield knows a magic that allows others to experience someone's memories, yes?" he asked._

"_Uh, yes" Negi said, holding his staff in hand. _

"_Cast it, & I shall show you all just how powerful I am" Owin said with a smile._

_They were on a large battlefield, where a large army had amassed. Everyone was watching a scene from Owin's past, a memory Owin had always treasured. They were all shocked at just how large the army was._

"_Look at them all! There must be at least five million people there! No, more!" Asuna said in shock._

"_Much more. You're way off. It's an army of Six billion soldiers, plus aircraft" Owin said._

"_You're kidding! What are they all here for?" Konoka asked. _

"_To fight me" Owin said._

"_No way! Why would they need so many soldiers just to fight one person?" Setsuna asked._

"_You'll see. Look, the battle is beginning" Owin suddenly. _

_A few hundred feet away from the soldiers on the front line they could see a lone figure walking calmly. This figure was truly a sight to behold. The figure was wearing jet-black armor, & he appeared to be eight-feet tall, but he held no weapon in hand. Yet even then he was walking toward to the gargantuan army as though it were but a stroll in the park._

"_Wait that looks nothing like you-aruyo" Ku-Fei said pointing at the walking figure._

"_This form I'm wearing is an illusion. That is how I truly look like when I am wearing my armor" Owin replied._

"_Why were you disguising yourself?" Setsuna asked._

"_All in good time. The song is starting"._

_(This part of the story has Slayer's "Raining Blood" as the music that is playing.)_

_Then suddenly they could all hear music. A large guitar riff exploded & suddenly rain began to rain down from the sky. However they noticed that the soldier's began to scream, & the floor was painted a crimson red. Then the past Owin spoke in a loud voice that could be heard for mile's, a loud guttural roar._

"_**The Blood that rains down upon thee is thy own blood, come from the future to show you all just how much blood shall be shed. Thou now has the great Owinheim von Einsberg as thine enemy & none of thee shall escape my wrath! Today it shall rain Blood!**_" Owin screamed out. Then another guitar riff , & a large sword completely engulfed in flames emerged from Owin's right hand. Another guitar riff, & another identical sword emerged from his left hand. Another guitar riff, & suddenly his entire armor was engulfed in flames. Yet another guitar riff, & huge wings emerged from Owin's back, at least a thirty-five foot wingspan, wings completely composed of bright orange flames so that Owin looked like a giant torch. Then Owin charged.

The music that everyone could hear had reached a frighteningly loud chorus & Owin was literally sweeping right through the opposing army. With his mighty wings he was flying at supersonic speeds so that it looked as though he were simply teleporting. Every pass Owin would swing his mighty sword, & any within the path were set ablaze, every pass killing at least a thousand soldiers. They had lost count of the passes but it must have been at least thirty. At the thirtieth one, Owin stopped at the middle of the army & joined his swords together. He then began to spin them overhead at supersonic speeds just as the song was beginning a large thrashing session. Suddenly fire began to erupt from the swords creating a giant barrier that grew larger & larger the faster Owin spun his swords, burning millions of soldiers in the process. By now the song was playing a long section of drums & guitars playing, then suddenly it stopped as Owin split the swords again. Then loud singing began to play as Owin charged in at the remaining soldiers that were left, dodging every sword strike & responding with five or six long slashes that would catch at ten to fifteen soldiers each time. He would deftly dodge every bombing from the overhead airships, deliberately fighting in the enemy ranks so that the bombs would kill enemy soldiers. Every now & then they would see Owin launching large fireballs at the ships & watch the ships explode. Not only was Owin holding his own against an army a billion strong, he was winning. None of the middle-schoolers or even Evangeline could believe what they were watching. Here was a lone man fighting an army a billion strong, & they hadn't even landed a single hit.

"I believe that is enough" Owin said, & Negi taking the cue deactivated the spell.

"Who are you exactly?" Evangeline demanded, everyone else looking at Owin. So far everything was working perfectly. Now he just needed to go through the long part: telling them the story.

Fine. I will explain it to you all. There is quite a lot I will need to tell you & not all of it will make sense, so you might as well get comfortable" he said, & waited for everyone to be ready before he began.

"Okay. First I will need to explain to you this. How many of you have ever thought that they're might be other worlds besides our own, worlds infinitely different from your own?". Everyone raised their hands except for Evangeline & Setsuna.

"Well, there are. Many more. This is something referred to as the Multiverse. Imagine as though you were all standing on a beach, an incredibly large beach stretching for thousands of miles long. Now imagine that you are picking up a single tiny grain of sand from that large beach. That single tiny grain of sand is your plane, your single plain of existence" At this everyone gasped.

"Yes it is very hard to grasp. Each plane carries with it it's own universes, its own kinds of creatures, its laws of physics, even it's own afterlife & gods. This is what a plane is. These planes are watched over by beings known as the Blind Eternities. We still don't know what the Blind Eternities are, all we know is they are responsible for creating life & magic. We also know that they are the ones responsible for creating beings known as Planeswalkers, almighty beings capable of doing something that no other being is capable of doing: traveling in between the other planes of existence. I am one such a being. This is how I came to this world.About five thousand years ago, a great war erupted between an evil emperor capable of traveling between dimensions & a great planeswalker, perhaps one of the greatest to have ever existed. They committed horrible atrocities in their war, & created what was known as the rifts, tears in the very fabric of the multiverse. If left unchecked, these rifts would destroy the entire multiverse. Brave planeswalkers then discovered that these rifts could only be fixed if planeswalkers were to give over their lives, & finally a planeswalker known only as "thrice touched by fate" sealed the most powerful of all the rifts, & began a great event known as the Mending. However, the Mending had an immense toll on the Blind Eternities & weakened them. Previously, all of the planes were capable of producing only one type of magic: True magic, The Five Colors. However, these true magic spells needed Mana, magic life energy produced by the land & earth itself. It was the main power we planeswalkers had. However, the rift changed the way magic & mana worked, & so the multiverse itself was changed, & so we split the Multiverse up into three parts.

First was the Core. These are the worlds most like the Multiverse before the rift. In these worlds the Blind Eternities are at their strongest, & the five colors exist in abundance. Here is we planeswalkers make our home, & here is where most of us our born. Here every land produces mana in abundance, & it is called the core because these are the worlds closest to the middle of the multiverse.

Second is the Inner Rim, where this plane, your plane, is at. In these worlds the Blind Eternities hold very little power, & instead of producing the five colors of magic, all the spells & components of magic are made into one big mess which is highly inferior to true magic. Here lands produce only a finite amount of mana, & we planeswalkers are severely handicapped as we are unable to cast most of our spells. Next to no planeswalkers are born here.

Then lastly there is the outer rim, also known as the Dead Zone. Here is the Blind Eternities hold almost no power at all, & there is no magic. There we planeswalkers are cancerous, & our very presence alone is capable of destroying the plane. Thus we planeswalkers avoid these worlds at all cost, & thus it is impossible for a planeswalker to be born here.

That is the planeswalker story". Owin finished.

Everyone took a few moments to absorb the huge amount of information, but Yue was the first one to speak.

"I have a question".

"Yes?"

"That song that was playing when you fought the large army, was that True Magic?"

"No, that is for the next part of the story. Is everybody ready for the next part then?"

Everyone nodded.

"Fine. Now it is my part of the story, before I became a planeswalker".

"Like you all I was born in a realm located in the Inner Rim, under my true name of Owinheim von Einsberg. In my world, space travel had been done, & there were many planets in the realm that were already colonized. I am came from the village nation of Keld. If there was anything that set us Keldons apart from the rest of the Multiverse, it's that we were feared for our ferocity & fierceness in battle. This was due to a special ability that only we Keldons could do. It was called "Warsong". Through strict, brutal training & a type of magic, if you could call it that, we were grown to be the greatest warriors in the Multiverse, aided by the magical properties of the "Warsong". The warsong allowed us to do something nobody else was capable of at the time: It allowed us to take on whole armies single-handedly. In fact, it was a graduation ritual of ours that all ten-year-old boys were to go out & fight a one-thousand man army by themselves". This drew gasps from everyone in the room.

"Because of our amazing battle prowess, we were often hired by those outside of our planet, & we became a mercenary nation. Whole nations would pay vast sums of money to hire us, because it grew to be said that the side with the most Keldons on they're side would definitely be the winner".

"Wait, so you were a village of mercenaries? Who was your leader?" Yue interrupted.

"That was me. In our village, the one who obtained the highest kill count during a war was declared to be the leader, & I had achieved that in the battle you all witnessed, a total of three point four billion soldiers, seeing as how the rest fled before I could get my hands on them. Because of that, I was declared the leader, & I became a legend within the Keldon people." Owin finished.

"Wait, I have a question. Just why did you all decide to become a mercenary nation? Was there really no other direction to take the village?" Yue asked.

"What do you mean?" Owin asked.

"You couldn't do anything else but fight?"

"We fought well. People desired us to fight for them. They paid vast sums of money. Is it not customary to be paid for good services?" Owin simply asked.

"But still killing is wrong" Yue said incredulously.

"That's right. You all were simply creating war when we should be promoting peace" Nodoka joined in.

Great. That's exactly what Owin needed right now. Peace-mongers.

"You mean you actually believe in something so foolish as peace? Peace is an out-dated concept created by the weak once they have been persecuted by the strong" Owin said.

"You're wrong! If everyone would stop fighting, then they're would be peace" Yue said.

"& do you really believe fighting will stop? Humans live to fight. They have no other real purpose but to fight each other. I have been to many different realms in my time as a planeswalker, & in no world did I find a pipe-dream world such as yours. Conflict exists in every world, & you should be smart enough to know that" Owin said.

"But still, even if there are people who hunger for war, there are still people who want peace! Should those who desire peace do nothing & let war continue?" Yue asked incredulously.

"Yes, exactly. Those who desire peace are often weak, thus they should have no say in the workings of the world".

"But that's wrong! That's just the majority winning against the minority & the strong bullying the weak!" Yue said getting up.

"Then why don't you fight me about it?" Owin said. "Let's see which of our philosophies is true".

"I accept!" Yue said angrily.

After a while Yue was finally ready for the battle. The rest were trying to convince her not to do it.

"Yue, please don't do this! There's no way you're going to be able to beat him" Nodoka pleaded with her.

"Yes, Yue-san, you saw how he fought a billion strong army! There's no way that you can defeat him" Negi said.

"No. I have to fight him" Yue said angrily.

"But why? What's the point?" Nodoka begged, worried about her best friend.

"Because if I allow him to beat me, It's as though my grandfathers beliefs were wrong. There's no way I can allow him to say such things about peace when my Grandfather wanted nothing but peace! There's no way I can allow him to say such things!" Yue said, now beginning to cry. Now Nodoka understood. In this way Yue was just like Negi-sensei. When it came to her grandfather Yue would lose all reason.

"Okay, Yue. I understand. In that case, do your best" Nodoka said, smiling.

"Right" Yue said, returning the smile.

Finally it seemed as though Yue was ready for battle. Owin walked over to the large field that apparently Evangeline had set up for battle. "Aren't you going to use your Warsong, or you're sword?" Yue asked. "You are undeserving of it. I will beat you with my fists alone" Owin said, raising his fists. "You're going to regret that, Owin-san! Yue-san is quite good with magic" Negi said from the sidelines. "I don't remember asking your opinion, child!" Owin yelled. Apparently the memory did nothing to show them how powerful she was. Now he will have to show them.

"Okay, this battle will continue until one of you is unable to keep fighting. Otherwise, there are no rules" Evangeline said, standing on the middle of the sidelines. Yue pulled out her small wand. "Ready…GO" Evangeline said.

No sooner did Yue begin the first syllable of her spell before Owin appeared directly in front of him, teleporting at least ten feet. Her gave a elbow smash directly to her face, & he could hear the satisfying crunch as her nose broke & she bled onto his elbow. Then he kicked her straight into the air at least ten feet up. Then as she reached the apex, Owin teleported up & gave her a double-overhead smash sending her straight into the floor completely smashing the concrete. At this point, Owin decided to take a break. He felt he had made his point. This was done within three seconds.

Everyone rushed over to Yue's side. She was bleeding profusely from her face, & seemed to have a broken back. Konoka was crying because she didn't know if she could heal the wounds herself. Owin sighed & walked over to Yue. He then materialsed a small artifact he had begun using within which he could accumulate mana. He opened it for just enough mana, & used a white spell. He passed his hands over her wounds, & as though he were brushing off dirt, the blood & wounds & pain were instantly swept away. Yue looked up at him, not knowing what to make of the mysterious man. "First you nearly kill me, then you heal me?" Yue asked angrily. He then grabbed her by the scruff of her neck & pulled her up to his face. "Now you know you are weak. The weak shouldn't spout off nonsense ideals if they can't even back them up with power" Owin whispered. Then he set her down & walked away.

Because they had just recently entered the domain, they could not leave for about ten more hours, & so everyone decided they might as well rest. The dimension had taken on a time of night, but Owin didn't want to sleep right now. He was on the balcony, staring up at the artificial moon, a moon which cast a subdued yet beautiful blue light on the world, & Owin was simply staring, not even thinking about his plans for the moment. He was entranced by the blue light.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he heard. He turned his head slightly & looked at the person behind him. It was Setsuna. She walked over to the balcony & stood next to him. "Indeed" he simply said. "There's something I wanted to ask you about today" she said. "Of course. You people up to now have only come to me with questions. What is it?".

"Why have you been disguising yourself?".

"My true form would attract far too much attention".

"Why did you attack Yue?"

"Does it really matter? I healed her right after" He said, facing toward her now. She had on a very serious expression, & he could tell she was measuring him.

"Fine, then last question. Why are you here?".

"Do you really wish to know?" he said with a smile.

"Yes".

"For you".

Setsuna looked taken aback by what he said, as she began blushing. However she was quick to regain her composure.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly that. Sakurazaki Setsuna, would you like to be my apprentice in Keldon swordsmanship?" he asked. Now the plan would be put into action.

"Why me?"

"I could feel you as soon as I entered this realm. I could feel one who would be able to take what I have to teach them, & use it as it's utmost. That person is you Sakurazaki Setsuna".

"Why would I want to learn something like that?"

"Who knows? For your own desires. To do with what you wish. Just know this." & now he stepped closer to Setsuna, close enough so that he could feel her breath & her his. She did not back away, but she spread her feet apart into a battle stance. "If you are truly able to learn my techniques, none in this universe will be able to oppose you. Not Evangeline, not Takahata, not even the principal. No one".

"What I desire is not ultimate power" Setsuna simply said.

"But of course" he said as he began to walk away. "Though you know," he said as he continued walking, "No one would be able to hurt your beloved Ojou-sama" he said, & he could hear her move & her breath stop. "I'll await your reply".

Now the seeds of the plan have been planted.

Well now I feel as though the story is coming along quite nicely. Owin really let Yue have it huh? & now we have some idea as to why Owin has come to this plane. What does he want to do with Setsuna? Will Setsuna take him up on his offer? What could he be after? You'll just have to read next time to find out!

Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Blah, Blah, don't own Negima, don't own Magic: The Gathering, blah, blah, blah, you know the drill.

The Einsberg-Planeswalker Cycle

Chapter 3

It had been the third day since Owin had began his bodyguard tenure in Mahora Gakuen. So far the plan was proceeding faster than Owin had expected, but it was not something bad. He was in fact happy as now the plan & its results would happen faster. He wondered, however, whether Setsuna would take up his offer. He had been forced to play the "Ojou-sama" card rather early, but it seemed as though that alone would leave her intrigued in the idea. He had sensed that she cared for Konoka as more than just friends, & that suited Owin's plans just fine. There were fortunately no problems so far, & Owin was going to make sure it was kept that way.

He had entered the class much earlier than expected & saw the apparition again. "Good Morning, Owin-san" she said with a smile.

"Good morning, Aisaka" he replied.

"Has work been tough?".

"Actually this job is rather easy. Would you happen to know why is it that this class would need a bodyguard?".

"Well, that might have something to do with Konoka-san".

"The one with the rather large magical power?".

"I believe so. I don't know much about it, but apparently there are some people who want Konoka-san's power".

"I see. However, I had heard that Negi Springfield & Sakurazaki Setsuna were rather accomplished fighters. Wouldn't they be enough?".

"Sorry, I don't know much about Magic, but apparently the principal doesn't think they alone would be enough".

"Seems like it."

After a while, some more people had begun to come into the class. Owin noticed that this time, Yue seemed to be very angry with him, refusing to look in his directions. Then Owin noticed that the Ayaka girl was walking in his direction.

"Excuse me, Owin-san, I wanted to talk to you about something" Ayaka said.

"Speak".

"Well I would prefer to talk to you outside".

They both walked to the outside. Owin noticed that Ayaka seemed to be a bit nevous & she had her eyes downcast.

"Owin-san, I just wanted to apologize about the way I acted toward you on your first day. I may have come out a bit too angry & I wanted to say I'm sorry about the way I acted".

"That's it?"

"& also, I wanted to know if we can start over & be friends" she said.

"That's fine" Owin said already going back into the class.

"W-Wait! Do you accept my apology?" she stammered.

" I don't know. I guess" Owin said scratching the back of his head.

"That's all you have to say?!" Ayaka yelled, but by now Owin had closed the door & entered the class. He was already getting tired of her.

"I wonder, just who is that Owin guy?" Asakura asked.

"He doesn't seem very friendly" Haruna said.

"You're both wrong! Owin-san is actually very friendly!" Aisaka said.

"Oh, Sayo-chan! You've spoke to him before!" then suddenly Asakura reached into her bag & pulled out a notepad & a microphone connected to a small tape recorder. "How many times have you spoken with him? What does he talk to you about? When have you been talking to him? What does he ask about you?" Asakura began asking in rapid succession.

"Waaaaahhh! You're asking the questions way too fast Asakura-san!" Aisaka said, her head spinning from all the rapid-fire questions.

"Oi, Asakura! Stop asking the questions so loud! He'll hear you!" Haruna said warningly.

"I can hear you" Owin said, his head still in his arms as he slept like usual.

"EEK! See, now you're going to get him mad at us!" Haruna yelled in a panic.

"What's wrong with asking some questions, after all we barely know anything about the guy! It'll be a big scoop if I manage to actually be able to get some information about him, you know!" Asakura said with a grin.

At that point, Owin had gotten up. Everyone thought he was going to do something to Asakura, but instead he just walked out the classroom.

"See, I think you got him mad" Haruna said.

"It'll be alright. Anyway, Haruna-chan, do you know anything about that Owin guy?" Asakura asked, pointing the microphone at Haruna now.

"Of course I don't know anything about him! Have you ever seen me talk to him?!" Haruna yelled.

"Jeez, does anybody know anything about him?" Asakura asked with a frown as she began to swing the microphone around by its wire.

"I do. He's nothing but a war-monger!" Yue said angrily.

"Ehh, You've talked with him before, Yueecchi?" Asakura asked.

"Yes, he cares nothing about killing people & thinks the strong should rule the world" Yue said.

"Ehh, that means he's killed people before. Maybe he's a war veteran who's killed so many people that it doesn't bother him anymore?" Asakura asked, imagining Owin wearing army fatigues & running through a forest.

"Or maybe he's a really famous secret agent who's done missions all over the world for lots of different governments!" Makie said, imagining Owin wearing a tuxedo & dodging gun blasts.

"Or maybe he's a government agent sent in to investigate any weird goings-on in the school!" Haruna said, imagining Owin in a black suit flashing a police badge.

"I think you're all wrong! Owin-san is really a very nice person! He just looks scary & people misunderstand him!" Aisaka said, yelling & waving her arms.

"So then, please tell us everything you know about Owin-san, Sayo-chan! What is his favorite food? His favorite drink? His favorite music? What does he do in his spare time? What kind of woman does he like? Is he pervert?" Asakura began asking in rapid-fire succession. "Kyaa! That's too many questions Asakura-saaaaaan!!" Aisaka yelled as she flew away from the room & through the room. "Ahh! Wait up, Sayo-chan!!" Asakura yelled as she ran after Aisaka right out of the room. "& there they go" Haruna said giggling. "Ne, Haruna-chan, what do you think about that Owin guy? Doesn't he seem really stand-offish?" Makie asked. "Well, it could just be that he's not used to starting conversations? He doesn't seem to talk to anybody unless he's spoken to" Haruna said as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Yeah but he really seems like he just doesn't like us or something" Sakurako said as she was fixing her pom-poms with Misa & Madoka. "Yeah that's true. & he seems to not like Negi-Sensei or something" said Madoka. "I don't know why. Everyone almost always gets along with Negi-sensei really well" said Misa. "Well, that's just us really" Madoka said making Misa laugh. "Maybe it's like I said before & he just doesn't like women?" Haruna said with a devilish little grin. "Maybe. But he seems to get along with Sayo-chan easily enough" Madoka said. "Hehe, maybe he only has a thing for ghosts?" Haruna asked. "That would be funny" Misa said as everybody laughed. After a while, Owin walked back into the class & went back to sleep. "I'm going to try talking to him" Misa said as she got up. She walked up to his desk.

"Umm, excuse me, Owin-san?" she asked with a cute smile.

"Yes?" Owin said, his face still in his arms & his head pointed to the window opposite from Misa.

"I wanted to ask, what country do you come from?".

" Somewhere far away" Owin answered dismissively.

"Like…?" Misa said trying to drag out an answer.

"It doesn't matter" Owin said.

"Well then, what do you do for a living?"

"Nothing much".

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No".

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"No".

"Do you want a girlfriend?"

"No".

"Why not?".

"Because if she's like you she'll be annoying, now leave me alone" Owin said angrily.

"Fine" Misa said as she walked away.

"So, how did it go?" Madoka asked.

"He called me annoying & told me to leave" Misa said matter-of-factly.

"What?! Why does he have to be such a jerk all the time!" Madoka asked angrily as she got up from her chair & walked over to Owin. "Hey, why do you have to be such a jerk to my friend?" She asked as she slapped her hand on the table.

If Owin heard her, he made no indication as he continued to sleep. He was listening to her though, & her demanding tone was beginning to make him angry.

"Oi, wake up!" Madoka said as she began pushing his shoulder. This Owin couldn't stand & he got up. Madoka was taken aback as Owin went right next to her face.

"I have no need to explain myself to a child, Kugimiya Madoka, & do not presume that simply because you are confronting me I will back off" Owin said with a hint of malice in his voice.

"H-how dare you!" Madoka said as she raised her hand to slap him in the face, her friends getting up to stop her. Once her hand came within an inch of his face, Owin grabbed her wrist & flipped it, causing Madoka to flip head over heels & to land right on his table, smashing it to pieces.

Suddenly, everyone began to scream "Madoka" & ran to help the girl to her feet. "Hmm, seems I will need a new table" Owin said as he walked out the room, all the girls staring daggers at the man that had hurt their friend.

Owin had walked through the halls for quite a while before he was able to find a suitable table in an empty classroom. He was dragging it through the halls when he saw Negi waiting for him outside the classroom with a rather serious expression on his face. Owin sighed because now he knew the kid was going to get mad about what he had done.

"Owin-san! I need to have a word with you!" He said loudly.

"Not now, kid, I'm busy" Owin said dismissively.

"Yes, now! I can ignore you not being nice to them, but I cannot tolerate you hurting them!".

"Oh? You think you can stop me?"

"I will if I have to" Negi said. This Owin could not tolerate.

"Do you honestly think you can take on a planeswalker, kid?"

Suddenly, Negi began to feel as though an invisible hand were gripping his throat, strangling him. The pain was so intense that Negi couldn't even think of any spells & he could feel his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

"You listen & you listen well, Negi Springfield" Owin said as he moved closer to the gasping boy, his hold over him strong & firm. "There is no way you can ever hope to defeat me. I don't want to, but I could kill you, your class, even this entire plane if I wanted to. As long as you don't bother me to much, I won't kill you, but try my patience as you have done today, & I will. Don't test me" Owin said with as much malice as he could. Then suddenly Negi was thrown halfway across the room but whatever invisible force was choking him, & he began gasping for air as soon as he landed.

Owin walked into the classroom & saw that the table's remains were already cleared. He also noticed that the entire class was staring at him, some of them scared & some of them angry. Madoka was gone as well, presumably to the nurse's office he supposed. He flipped the table up & sat down, once again sleeping. It was a few minutes before Negi walked in, & he seemed to be trying to give no indication as to the fact that he was hurt, cheerfully teaching the class. It suited Owin fine, he didn't want to deal with the brat anyway.

After classes had ended, Owin left the classroom, walking through the school grounds when suddenly she called him.

"Owin-san!". Owin turned around to see that Setsuna had called him, & that she looked less than pleased.

"Yes, Setsuna?" he asked cheerfully.

"Why did you do that to Kugumiya-san?"

"You saw for yourself. She attempted to hit me & I defended myself. Is that a crime?"

"You went overboard. She was very badly hurt".

"Should I care?"

"More than that I know you attacked Negi-sensei. I can't forgive that".

"He threatened me. I just showed him the error of his ways, that's all"

"He seemed very hurt".

"He is but a child after all. Anyway, have you considered what we talked about earlier?" he asked.

"I have no need to learn a new sword style. Shinmeiryuu is enough" she said firmly.

"Oh really? I have a question".

"Yes?"

"How do you fight in Shinmeiryuu without your sword?"

"What?" Setsuna reached for her sword only to find that it was gone, only the sheath there. She looked from her sheath to Owin & saw that her sword was in his hands.

"Impossible! When did you-" Setsuna stammered, amazed that not only had she not felt the sword leave her side, but that she hadn't even seen him move.

"This is the result of Keldon swordsmanship training. If you allow me to train you, Setsuna, you will be capable of feats no one in this world can even dream of. You will be faster than light & stronger than any natural force. If you were to allow me to train you, there will be no one in this world capable of taking you on" Owin said, swinging Setsuna's sword around.

"Return Yuunagi to me" Setsuna said.

"But of course" Owin said, & before Setsuna knew it, she suddenly felt the familiar weight of her sword at her side, amazed that once again she didn't even see Owin move. "I know what we can do! Why don't we have a sparring match? This way you can see how good Keldon swordsmanship really is!" Owin said with a satisfied smile.

"Fine. I'll show you how strong Shinmeiryuu truly is!" Setsuna said, raising her sword into the standard kendo position, her feet apart & Yuunagi pointed straight at Owin's head.

"Come" Owin said as he raised his fists in what looked like a standard boxer position.

"Aren't you going to draw your sword?"

"Of course not. My hands will be more than enough. While it is called "Swordsmanship", the Keldon style focuses on using hand-to-hand combat as well as using multiple weapons, as well as striking quickly & efficiently. This is how we are able to take on large armies by ourselves. That's lesson number one, Setsuna" Owin said still keeping his smile of confidence.

"Like I said, I won't be training with you!" Setsuna said as she charged straight at Owin. Owin didn't even move as Setsuna tried to bring her sword down on his head, but right when the sword was about to touch him, he brought his hand up, & blocked the sword with his bare finger.

"Impossible!" Setsuna stammered as she tried to push her sword down but couldn't. How he possibly block her sword strike with a bare finger? Was this truly the power of his fighting style?

"Starting to see how powerful my style is? You can learn to do this too, y'know" Owin said, chatting with her as though they were merely enjoying tea together.

Setsuna disengaged her sword & in anger, began to swing her sword in a wild slashing combo. She had felled countless demons in this way, but she couldn't even take down this man, who continued to block her strikes with only her finger. Why? Why can't I manage to hit him even once? How can he block my sword so easily?! Setsuna began to think, already getting angry about the situation. No, calm down. He is still a man, so there has to be some weakness, Setsuna thought as she continued the assault. Then, she came at a Owin with a sword strike on his right side which was easily blocked, followed by an elbow to his face on the left, which was blocked as well. She then twisted her body so that her sword came all the way around & came at Owin's face on his left, which despite it's impressive speed, was still blocked. This is it!, Setsuna thought, & she then grabbed her sheath & swung out with both her sword & sheath on one side, which Owin was not fast enough to block & caught him swift on the jaw. Setsuna thought she had the match won, until she looked at Owin's face & saw that not only was he not hurt, but he was smiling. "Oh? Was that supposed to hurt?". Setsuna was so shocked that it hadn't hurt that she stood in place for a few seconds. What is this man?! I put almost all my strength into that one blow! How can he not be hurt?!. "I must say you have a rather disappointing hit strength. I can help you with that you know" Owin said with his so far ever present smile. "Damn you! Don't you understand? I'm happy with what I have!" Setsuna said angrily. "You're happy with that half-assed strength of yours? Are you so sure?" Owin said, & now he got close to Setsuna, as close as they had been that day in Evangeline's resort. "I can feel it in you, Sakurazaki Setsuna. You wish to see this great power I speak of. You do wish to learn it. Don't try to hide it" Owin said, his smile fading from his face. "You're wrong!" Setsuna yelled. "Here, let me show you a bit of the power" Owin said & suddenly, Setsuna had no idea what had happened, but it felt as though something like a freight train had hit straight on in the face, & Setsuna was sent flying into the school building, cracking the wall, & making her cough blood. Setsuna laid on the floor trying to recover from the devastating blow & wondering what in the world had just happened. "Do you see? You have no chance in hell of beating me. That is the overwhelming power of Keldon Swordsmanship. It would make you unstoppable if only you would allow me to teach you" Owin said. "Setsuna-san!" Owin heard someone yell & suddenly large magical bolts appeared in the sky directed right at Owin, which he irritatingly smacked out of the way. Suddenly, Negi had appeared along with Asuna, Ku-Fei, Kaede, Mana, Nodoka, Yue, & Haruna, all dressed in what he supposed was battle gear.

"Owin-san! Why are you fighting with Setsuna-san?!" Negi asked, his wand pointed at Owin.

"We were having a sparring match, that's all" Owin said casually.

"Even so, this looks more like a fight!"

"It doesn't concern you kid, so don't interrupt!" Owin said.

"No! As a teacher I won't allow you to attack my students!".

"Damn your annoying kid! Get out of the way or I'll move you!" Owin said, already getting agitated.

Negi didn't even bother answering & instead launched his thunderbolt spell, which Owin smacked out of the way again.

"Kid, I wasn't going to kill her you know! You're having a misunderstanding" Owin said.

"Even so, I cannot allow something like this to go on" Negi said as he prepared another spell.

"You sure you want to die over a misunderstanding?" Owin said, getting very agitated at how childish the boy was acting.

"I won't allow you to hurt my students! Just now that blast could have killed Setsuna-san!"

"No, it couldn't! I deliberately held back so that it wouldn't kill her! I'm trying to offer her a chance to train her in swordsmanship" Owin said.

"You don't need to try to kill her if you want her to study under you!"

"Didn't you just hear me, you fucking little kid! I just said I held back!". Now Owin was passed annoyed & was getting extremely angry. He was getting so angry that he was allowing his power to leak through, causing him to be surrounded in a red aura & causing the ground to shake underneath them.

Now Negi didn't know what to do. It seemed as though Owin had begun to get very angry, & Negi knew that Owin was extremely strong. It was just a good thing that he had everyone with him. He knew that if they were there with him, then they stood a fighting chance.

"Kid, I'm going to tell you right now. Leave if you want to live" Owin said as he struggled to get his anger in check & his power under control.

"No, I will stop you from hurting my students!" Negi said, getting ready to fight.

"YOU HONESTLY THINK YOU CAN STOP ME!!" Owin screamed. Then suddenly Negi suddenly felt as though invisible hands like the ones before were gripping him again, & suddenly his arm bent the wrong way, & everyone heard the sickening crunch & snap as the bones in Negi's right arm were broken. Negi fell to the ground screaming in pain as everyone rushed over to see if he was all right. "Why you!" Asuna yelled as she charged at Owin with her large sword. Suddenly a strange force smacked right into Asuna & sent her flying right into the school building, causing her to fall unconscious. As Negi laid on the floor, screaming in pain, Owin finally managed to take control of his anger, & his power level lowered. He then walked over to Negi, & instantly everyone got ready to fight him. Instead, Owin ignored them & pulled the same mana-producing artifact from before & cast a white healing spell on Negi, mending his broken arm. As Negi flexed his arm, Owin put an arm in his shoulder & spoke almost in a whisper. "I let my anger take control of me for a minute there, but I assure you I wasn't going to kill Setsuna. I wanted to show her how strong Keldon swordsmanship is, that's all. I mended your broken arm this one time, but if you get in my way again, I will kill you Negi Springfield. I won't hurt your students unless they bother me, thus I recommend you don't put them in harm's way again as you have done today. If you want to die, do it by yourself, kid" Owin said, still trying to keep his anger under control. Then he got up & walked away.

Wow, now we sure have an idea as to how strong Owin really is! He whooped everybody! Anyway, This chapter was really fun to write because it practically just wrote itself. I tried to add a little bit of comedy with Haruna & everyone else but Owin is too dead pan serious for comedy. Also, after reading through the chapter Owin's anger problem really came through didn't it? As usual, constructive criticism & reviews are welcome & desired so feel free! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Magic: The Gathering & Negima are not mine.

The Einzberg-Planeswalker Cycle

Chapter 4

The plan seemed to have hit a snag. Owin was sitting on the school roof, staring at the whole of Mahora Gakuen's night life pondering. It seemed as though Setsuna was angry at him. He had not expected her to be so steadfast against using Keldon swordsmanship. He could sense her desire to learn it but she was resisting for some reason. Maybe it had something to do with Konoka. This was yet another problem. He had not expected Setsuna to be so steadfast in protecting someone. He had found out by searching Konoka's mind that the whole reason she had learned kendo was to protect Konoka. This went against a large part of the Keldon code. A Keldon warrior did not gain power for the sake of another, or for something so petty as revenge or money. A Keldon warrior desired the power for the sake of power, because they themselves desire beyond all things to gain power. If she was to have any chance at all at learning the swordsmanship or even to gain warsong, he would have to beat that out of her. He didn't mind her using her power to protect Konoka if so was her choice, but that cannot be her only reason or it would never work.

Another pressing matter was that boy sticking his nose in his business. For some reason that boy just loved to interfere in his matters, matters not concerning a lowly being such as him. In truth, Owin wanted to rip the boy's head right off his shoulders, but he knew if he did then Setsuna would hate him, & thus never agree to the training. Thus killing him was out of the question. Then there was the problem of Owin's anger issues. For just a while back there, his anger had gotten the better of him, & he came close to ruining everything right then & there. He had to make sure that he would keep his anger in check at all times from now on. All the things that could go wrong was beginning to agitate him. & here the plan was going so smoothly a few days ago.

Owin had stayed all night thinking when he noticed the sun had begun to rise. He entered the classroom early as usual & there was, as usual, the apparition. "Good morning, Owin-san" Aisaka said with a smile. "Good morning, Aisaka" he said sitting down.

"Thanks for defending me yesterday" he said as he put his in his arms.

"Oh, you're welcome" she replied, looking slightly taken aback.

"I think everybody hates me now for what I did".

"About Kugumiya-san?"

"Yeah. It's like no one around here has heard of self-defense or something"

"I think it's more about the fact that you hurt her so badly".

"Maybe. She shouldn't have come at me like that though".

"Hehe, not everyone seems to think like that".

"What did she have anyway?"

"A broken arm & some bruises on her back".

"Tch, that's not even a lot. Everyone made it seem like I crippled her".

"Everyone was worried about her".

"I guess".

Once more just like every other day, the kids began to enter the class, except it seemed as though they were already used to Owin's presence, as everyone ignored him. This suited Owin just fine, right up until Madoka walked in. She looked fine except that she had her left arm, the hand he had grasped, in a cast. Almost upon seeing him she made a beeline straight for Owin.

"You are the worst, Owin-san! You've done nothing but horrible things to the girls in this class, & I'm going to the principal to make sure you're fired!" she said angrily.

Owin took one look at her & rested on his arms again & said "Do as you please". This only served to make Madoka angrier.

"Is that all you have to say?! You're going to get fired, you hear me?! FIRED!" She yelled purposefully in his ear.

This made Owin get up. He went straight into her face so that they were only a few inches apart & he said, "If you don't shut up & sit down right now, you're going to need another cast".

"That won't happen!". Everyone turned toward the door to see Negi standing there looking serious. _Great, the nuisance returns yet again, _Owin thought.

"Owin-san, I already told you I will not let you hurt my students" Negi said, standing in front of Owin as Madoka got out of the way.

"& I already told you, kid, as long as they don't bother me, I won't. That one however won't shut up" Owin said, pointing straight at Madoka.

"As I have said before, you will NOT harm anybody" Negi said getting straight in Owin's face. This got him mad.

Owin then grabbed the boy from the collar of his shirt & lifted him off the ground. " & I have already told you, kid, that you can't stop me!". He then took Negi & threw him into the chalkboard, causing Negi to scream. "That's enough!". Owin looked at the class door & saw the other teacher known as Tackimichi Takahata standing there with a serious expression on his face. "Is there no end to you people?" Owin asked, trying to keep his anger in check. "You listen to me, Owin-kun. If you ever hurt Negi-kun again, you will have to answer to me" Takamichi said, putting his arm on Owin's shoulder. _Who does this guy think he is?_, Owin thought. "I'm shaking in my boots" Owin said sarcastically as he smacked Takamichi's hand away & walked out the classroom. "Wait, Owin-kun, come back!" Takamichi yelled while the girls looked after Negi. "Leave me alone old man!" Owin said continuing down the hall. "Wait, we're not done here yet!" Takamichi yelled running to keep up with him. Suddenly Owin stopped & began to move his head as though he were searching for something. "Like I said-" Takamichi began when Owin put his hand out to bar Takamichi. "Someone's coming. Someone not from the school" Owin said as he felt the presence. "What do you me-"Takamichi said when suddenly he felt it. There was a large presence of magical energy located somewhere outside the school. "You go back with the girls. I'm going to go welcome the visitor" Owin said as he went down the stairs. "Wait! That magical presence is far too large for you to take on by yourself! I'll go with you!" Takamichi said.

"I don't need your help, old man. This presence is no match for me. Go watch the girls".

"No, you don't know what you are talking about!" Takamichi said when all of a sudden he felt an invisible force wrap around him, constricting his movement & he fell to the floor.

"You just don't know how to follow orders, do you old man? I'll take care of it" Owin said, & he continued down the stairs, & he left the immovable Takamichi on the floor.

Owin arrived to see the entire front yard in chaos. Negi was fighting with his partners against a endless horde of demons, while the magical teachers of the school were helping out. It seemed to be a dire situation for everyone as the demons were putting up a good fight. He looked around for Setsuna & found her guarding Konoka, who was healing a young boy who had been injured. She fought fiercely against all the demons, but Owin saw that not only was she completely surrounded, she was bleeding rather badly from a large gash on her back. Owin decided to step in, & ripped the demons apart with the strange pressure he had used on Negi. "Yo, my little pupil" Owin said with a grin. "You!" Setsuna said apparently out of disbelief. Then Owin's face grew serious. "Sakurazaki Setsuna, I want you to witness this battle closely. Watch how truly fierce a Keldon warrior is in battle" Owin said & he walked away.

Owin pulled out his mana-saving artifact & used some mana to cast a large blue bouncing spell to place all the Mahora people on top of the school roof. "I don't want anyone to interfere in this! I'll take care of them!" Owin shouted as he marched straight into the hoard.

"Is he insane?!" Gandolfini yelled as he prepared to jump down. "Stop. Let him go". It was the principal, standing right next to him.

"Principal, what are you talking about?! There's no way he can take on that huge army by himself!" Gandolfini said incredulously.

"You're wrong. If what I've heard of this man is true, he'll have no problem" The principal said with a smile on his face.

Chigusa was having a ball. Finally she would get her revenge on the annoying brat that foiled her plans back in Kyoto. With all these demons here with her, plus Tsukuyomi on her side, she would definitely kill that annoying runt.

Owin continued without being interrupted by the demons straight to three people. One was a young girl in a rather frilly dress. The other seemed to be a woman in her mid-twenties with glasses.

"Who are you? One of the boys lackeys?" Chigusa asked.

"Don't insult me, I work for the school" Owin said, scratching the back of his head.

"Whoever you are, you're obviously an idiot for walking right toward us! Get him, my demons!" Chigusa yelled, & the demons charged at Owin.

Then suddenly, every demon in the yard, the thousands of them, blew up in a haze of blood & gore which promptly disappeared. "What in the hell just happened here?!" Chigusa yelled, wondering where her demons had gone.

"I'll give you five seconds to give up & run away. After that I kill you" Owin said casually.

"Don't mess with me! I have no idea what you did to all my demons, but there's no way you can take us on!" Chigusa said as she & Tsukuyomi went into their battle stances.

"& that would be five" Owin said, & suddenly both of their heads were sliced from their bodies, rolling on the ground as large rivers of blood were spilled from their bodies. Setsuna saw the whole thing in amazement. _How can one being be so unbelievably powerful?, _she thought to herself. Both of those people had caused no end of trouble for Negi-sensei & herself, so how can one person kill them both with no effort at all? She looked at Owin in amazement, him standing there watching the bodies bleed freely, Tsukuyomi's sword in his hand, apparently having been used to slice it's own owner. Then suddenly an unbelievable force pushed down on everybody in the vicinity. It was so strong that it forced Setsuna & Konoka to the ground. She looked at Owin as she struggled to move, only to see that he was standing like normal, as though he couldn't feel anything. Then, the ground began to crumble, & fire began to shoot out from the cracks. Then a large being emerged from the cracks. It was at least as tall as a skyscraper, with red skin & red slits for eyes. Fire seemed to ooze off of it as the being reached it's full height. Setsuna could only identify the creature as an extremely powerful demon.

"Human, I thank you for releasing me from those creatures control" The creature said in a dark, deep voice. Then Setsuna knew what had happened. By killing Chigusa & her lackeys, he had killed the only people that were constraining the monster, & now it was going to run rampant over the school. Setsuna cursed the foolish planeswalker for his mistake.

"So you must be the presence that I've been feeling" Owin said, looking right at the creature without any showing of fear.

"Yes. As thanks for releasing me, I give you an offer. Join me as I take over the world, & you'll be one of the few beings I will allow to live" the monster said.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Owinheim von Einzburg serves no one. Especially a demon weak enough to be controlled by humans" Owin said, laughing in the creature's face. This shocked Setsuna. So he hadn't done it on purpose after all? But still, could he take on such an immensely huge creature on his own?

"You fool! I am giving you a chance to live! Do you honestly think you can hope to defeat me?!" the demon yelled, a immensely large growl that shook the entire school.

"You're the one who doesn't stand a chance fool" Owin said with a crooked smile.

"Fine then. You will be first to die!" the demon yelled. The creature then rose its hand & materialized an immense sword at least as tall as himself, a sword as red as blood. It brought the sword down on Owin, & the collision created a huge shockwave, shooting dirt out from underneath it & causing all the windows of the school to burst. It took all of Setsuna's strength to keep her & Konoka from being blown away as they held on to a nearby stair handrail. _Damn, there's no way Owin could have survived that!, _Setsuna thought, now wondering how in the world how they were going to fight that monster. However, after the dust settled, Setsuna saw something that shook the very foundations of her belief in what was real & what wasn't.

Owin was there. He was alive. The blow had not even hit him. Setsuna looked closely & saw that Owin had once again blocked the huge sword with nothing but his naked finger.

"I-Impossible! What in the hell are you?!" The demon asked not able to believe what he was seeing. "I have no need to explain something to a dead creature" Owin said.

"Dead? What are you-" it was about to ask, when suddenly it stopped speaking, & its eyes were stuck wide open. It stood like this for quite a long time, about fifteen seconds, & everyone was wondering what had happened. Then suddenly, a drop of blood began to drip from the creature's head. Then another, then another. Then, without any warning, the creature fell into two pieces, as it's body was cut in half down the middle. Owin stood there, covered in the demon's blood with a smile on his face. As Setsuna gazed at the wreckage, at the bloody remains of the demon, at the unbelievably powerful man standing there completely covered in blood, only one thought was in her head.

_This man is truly a monster._

As usual, reviews & constructive criticism are welcome. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima or Magic: The Gathering. That's why Richard Garfield & Ken Akamatsu are the ones rolling in the Benjamin's while I'm typing a fanfic in my apartment. (Sigh…)

The Einzburg-Planeswalker Cycle

Chapter 6

Owin was called into the principal's office by the old man, & he had brought Helmer along with him. Owin was going to see if the principal would allow Helmer to hired as a bodyguard for the class as well, though he thought the chances were slim. Owin had been raising hell ever since he had gotten there.

"Well then Owin-san, thank you very much for your hard work preventing the school from being attacked. I must say you handled yourself very well in taking on that rather large demon" The old man said happily, to which Owin replied "Thanks".

"On another matter, however, I have received a complaint from one Kugumiya Madoka-kun, saying that you broke her arm & nearly killed her".

"She had attacked me & I defended myself. The broken arm was an unfortunate setback" Owin said.

"Even so, I will have to ask not hurt the students anymore. It defeats the purpose of your bodyguard status if they need protection from the one protecting them".

"Yeah about that, I have everything planned to sort it out so don't worry about it".

"I would hope so. Now then, this is?" the old man asked, indicating Helmer.

"This is my brother, Helmer Lancaster" Owin said, to which Helmer bowed to the principal saying "pleased to meet you".

"I was wondering if he could help in the bodyguard department" Owin said to the principal.

"Hmm, I don't think the class needs two bodyguards when one seems to be sufficient".

"Sir, I'll be willing to work for free" Helmer cut in.

"Oh, well if it's like that, then by all means" the principal said.

"Well then, excuse us" Helmer said, bowing again, & they left the room.

"So, that is the principal of this school?" Helmer asked.

"Yes. He's a good man, never getting in the way".

"Sounds like just your type of person".

"Indeed. It makes things easier".

"So, who is the teacher of the class?"

"Some extremely annoying brat teacher. Only ten-years-old".

"They allow ten-year-olds to become teachers here?!" Helmer asked, unable to believe it.

"It is a test for his magic license or some other thing brother" Owin said.

"Ah, I see. This country is truly different from our home".

"Indeed. Anyway, brother, remember what I told you about this class".

"What do you mean, dear brother?" Helmer asked with an innocent tone.

"You know what I mean. you can never control yourself when it comes to women & I don't want you doing anything to the girls in the class. You always have a habit of causing trouble when it comes to women".

"I think you breaking a girl's arm was a bigger problem-maker than anything I could do, brother. In any case, they are only fourteen to fifteen year olds, right? What can I possibly do to them?"

"Let's just say a bunch of them could pass for college girls".

"What's college?"

"Apparently it is school for those who have finished the mandatory school years & wish to continue studying. We're here" Owin said as they stood outside the classroom door.

"How do I look?" Helmer asked as he began to fidget around with his collar, wearing the same outfit as yesterday.

"Who gives a damn how you look?" Owin asked irritatingly.

"You're in as bad a mood as ever. Anybody I should watch out for?"

"Just the boy. He's going to be pretty annoying. You ready yet?"

"Yeah" Helmer said, & Owin opened the door & entered the room, going straight for his desk.

"Ah, you must be Helmer, yes?" Negi said, walking over to the door.

"Yes, I am Helmer Lancaster. Pleased to meet you, Negi-Springfield-sensei" Helmer said bowing to Negi, who bowed in turn.

"If you would please introduce yourself to the class, Helmer-san" Negi said, indicating the front of the class. Helmer went to the front of the class, took one look at them, & nearly had a heart attack. _Holy shit!_, he thought, _there's not a bad looking one in the bunch! Brother was right! Some of these girls look way older than they are! Oh man, I'm going to have so much trouble here! How am I supposed to control myself with so many girls here?! What the hell am I supposed to do?!_

"Helmer, remember what I told you" Owin said from his chair. Helmer then took a short breath, & said "My name is Helmer Lancaster, pleased to meet you" Helmer said as he bowed to the class. The girls greeted him with enthusiastic cries of "Nice to meet you" & "Hello" as Helmer made his way to the Owin's table & Negi began the class.

"I don't know what you were talking about, brother. Everyone here seems to be really nice. Especially Negi" Helmer said.

"Well, you're much nicer than I am, so maybe that's why" Owin said with his head in his arms as he tried to sleep.

"I bet you just got in everyone's face & didn't give them a chance, right?".

"I guess".

"Wow, that Helmer guy is kinda cute don't you think?" Haruna asked as she talked with Asakura, Misa, Madoka, Makie & Sakurako.

"He doesn't seem to be like his brother at all" Madoka agreed.

"They don't seem like brothers at all" Makie added.

"I wonder if he's like his brother & doesn't talk much with women" Haruna said.

"You think maybe we should try to talking with him?" Misa asked.

"Oh, look! Sakurazaki is talking to them!" Asakura said pointing at them. Setsuna seemed as though she were having an argument with Owin about something. She was trying to yell something to Owin, who was still with his head down looking opposite from her.

"I wonder what they're arguing about" Misa said, when Owin got up & started talking with Setsuna.

"I already told you that unless you did this, I wouldn't get trained by you, so you should know what to do" Setsuna said.

"For what do I have to apologize? They shouldn't have been bothering me about pointless shit!" Owin said.

"Even so, we agreed that that was going to be the conditions".

"I never agreed to that!" "It's either you do this or my training stops here, you're choice!"

"Does it even matter? Why in the hell do you care?"

"Because they are my classmates!"

"Come now, brother, is it really that much to ask? Just apologize. It's not like it would hurt" Helmer said. "Stay out of this! I don't see why I have to apologize for something so trivial". "Because if you don't then I won't learn from you, so the decision is yours" Setsuna said with a finality in her voice. Owin sighed & then after a few minutes went up to the front of the class. He didn't even have to call for everyone's attention, because everyone was already looking at them once they're voices began to escalate.

"Yeah, everyone, about the way I've been acting, um…" Owin began with a large amount of difficulty. He hated apologizing for anything he did. Why should a planeswalker have to apologize for anything they did anyway? "Well…uh…it's your fault for not just staying out of my-"he began to yell right before Helmer smacked him upside the head. "Do it right, brother" Helmer said as he stood next to Owin. "Geez, I'm sorry to anybody I've hurt before or anybody I've been unkind to" Owin finally said. "Do what I told you, brother! It will give it more feeling!" Helmer said. _Like I give a damn about putting more feeling into it, asshole!_, Owin thought angrily. He then bowed to them & yelled "I'm very, very sorry!", frightening all the girls. "There, happy now?" Owin asked Setsuna angrily. "Yes, that was very good" Setsuna said as she left to take her seat. "The stuff I have to go through sometimes. If we were back home I would have never allowed something like this to happen" Owin said as he laid his head on the table again. "That just shows that you are becoming nicer, brother" Helmer said, patting Owin on the shoulder. "It is not helping anything. Damn that Setsuna, she's going to get very hard training today" Helmer said with a rather malicious grin. "Don't kill her brother" Helmer said pleadingly.

"Now then, we begin your training" Owin said as he, Setsuna & Helmer both entered their designated training grounds. Setsuna's heart was beating heavily. This was going to be the first time she would train with Owin-san, & she had heard from both brothers that Keldon training was extremely brutal & barbaric. Setsuna was even beginning to doubt her choice of studying this fighting style. Owin had himself told her that there was a very large chance that she was not going to be able to master it, & even if she did, there was still a very low chance she would ever be able to learn the Warsong. Why should she almost get herself killed to learn a style that she had such a low chance of succeeding? As encouragement, though, Owin had told her that since the sword had accepted her blood, then there was still the chance that she would be able to take it. Also, Owin had said himself that if she didn't have the potential, he wouldn't have even bothered trying. Still, Setsuna was nervous. Apprehensive. Doubtful.

"Setsuna! Hurry up!" Owin had called, knocking Setsuna out of her thinking. "Coming!" she called , running to the middle of the field where the brothers stood. "Now then, first I want to ask you one thing: Are you sure you want to continue with the training? There is still time to back away" Owin said to her. _He must have read my mind, _Setsuna thought. That was way too accurate for a guess. Now the doubt in Setsuna intensified. Should she really go through with this? Yes, she did want to learn the style. Yes, she did want the power. Most of all, though, she wanted the power to protect Konoka. If Owin had not entered the battle back then when he had, she knew she would have been killed & would have failed in her mission & promise to protect Konoka. She wanted power to make sure that something like that never happened again. In her mind, Setsuna thought of Konoka, her perpetual smile, the way she always knew exactly what to do to cheer her up, & the fact that even though Setsuna was nothing more but her loyal bodyguard, the one girl had transformed Setsuna from a quiet, resolute half-demon into simply, her friend. When she imagined that, the doubt left her, & she knew what she had to do.

"Yes. It is too late to turn back now" she said.

"You might not be able to learn everything" Owin said.

"I will. I have decided on that" Setsuna said.

Owin took one look at her stout, resolute face, & smiled. "Hmph. Even if it isn't for the right reasons, that is what I like to hear. We'll get started now" Owin said as he beckoned her to the center of the large clearing they had made.

"Wait! What do you mean 'for the wrong reasons'?" Setsuna asked.

"That can wait. First I must explain to you some things. After a while, we may need to jump to a different plane in order to complete your training".

"You mean I will need to go to a different plane? For what reason?"

"That is due to something I must explain. Every plane comes with a barrier. Because the Blind Eternities cannot provide mana to every single plane in the Multiverse, it is necessary to put a limit on every planes power level, how strong any one being can possibly be on that plane, a power level that can never be passed no matter how much effort the being in question puts in. Because of this, Setsuna, no matter how powerful you become, you will never become as powerful as Helmer & I because you were born on a plane that has much lower barrier than our plane. However, if we continue your training on a plane with a much higher barrier than this one, than you can grow stronger. Do you understand?"

"A little bit. In other words even with your training, I still wouldn't be able to go passed a certain point?"

"Exactly. In this plane, I guess Evangeline would be the highest power".

"What of the Thousand Master?"

"Who?"

"Negi's father, the Thousand Master".

"Who is that?"

"He was said to be the strongest man in the world, he's legendary now. We were planning on trying to find him" Setsuna said.

"Never heard of him. Anyway, that's beside the point. Do you understand the point I was trying to make?".

"Yes".

"For now, however, we can still continue the training here in this plane. Come here Setsuna".

As Setsuna neared Owin's side, he pulled out his mana storing artifact, & released some mana to cast a spell on Setsuna. Setsuna suddenly felt rejuvenated & could distinctly make out a white lining on top of her skin, but she couldn't feel it at all.

"This is a white spell that will prevent your death. Most likely this plane has different laws as to what's possible to bear & what isn't, so I cast this spell on you in order to prevent you from dying at an improper time. This way we can train you as hard as we want without you dying from it. Keep in mind, however, that even though this will prevent you from dying, it won't prevent pain. Now move over there" he said, indicating a spot about fifteen feet away from him.

"Now I'm going to fight you in hand-to-hand combat so that we can have an easier start. You are to fight with your hands as well. A Keldon warrior is a master of Hand-to-hand as well as weapon combat. I hope Shinmeiryuu has also trained you for this?"

"Yes".

"Then we'll begin".

Owin got into his fighting stance & Helmer walked up to the middle of the space. Setsuna got into her fighting stance as well, her left arm extended & her right fist under her shoulder, her feet spread with her left in the front. Owin was once again in his boxing stance. "Setsuna, A Keldon warrior does not fight using only his eyes, but rather _feels_ the flow of combat, feeling what they're opponent is going to do. You must do this. Do not think, _feel_" Owin said. "Ready…Begin!" Helmer said & they both began.

Little then half a second passed before Owin had teleported right next to Setsuna & executed a right elbow strike directly into her solar plexus. The blow was almost enough to knock Setsuna out, but she managed to retain her consciousness as she was sent a few feet back. Owin immediately followed the strike with a roundhouse kick to her face, which Setsuna barely blocked. However, almost right after the kick made contact with her arm Owin teleported somewhere. In the split second it took for her to look for him Owin teleported right behind her & front kicked her in the back sending her flying straight into a tree.

"That was pathetic!" Owin said angrily as Setsuna tried to pick herself up, coughing blood. _It's true what he said. Even though that didn't kill me, I feel like I should be!_, Setsuna thought as she struggled to get back on her feet. "I thought I told you to _sense_ & _feel_ the flow of combat! You're letting your eyes see for you when it should be your body & instincts!" Owin said, watching the girl try to stand up. "Your too fast. I can't keep up with you" Setsuna said as she finally managed to pull herself up on shaky legs. "Of course I'm too fast for you! I'm too fast for this plane! No one in this entire world is faster than me! But that doesn't mean you can't anticipate what I plan to do & counter accordingly! That is why you must feel rather than think. I move faster than your eyes can keep up with! Do not use your eyes, use your instincts!" Owin said as he resumed his battle stance. "Now get ready & let's try this again".

Setsuna struggled to get back into her stance, & as soon as she did, Owin once again charged at her faster than she could see. This time she was able to predict that, & used instant movement to move behind Owin & gave him a punch to his back. Owin then side-stepped the attack & gave her a roundhouse kick to her head. Setsuna was fortunate enough to dodge this, & tried to charge in, but Owin teleported next to her & kicked her straight into another tree, which broke from the impact. Once more Setsuna began to cough up blood, & this time she thought she had some broken ribs. Setsuna could hardly get up from the pain. "Better. Much better than before. But still not good enough. Get up. We will try again" Owin commanded. "I-I can't! I think my ribs are broken!" Setsuna coughed out. "And? That is no excuse. Do you think that if you shout that out to a thousand soldiers all crying for your blood, then they will show compassion & let you live? They will cut you down, right? It is the same here! Besides, you can't die from those wounds, so stop being lazy & get up!" Owin said, still in his stance. Setsuna shut her eyes shut from the pain & effort & some how managed to pull herself to her feet. As it was, she couldn't even manage to put her fists because she was in so much pain. She hadn't even prepared for anything before Owin ran straight for her face. Setsuna couldn't muscle up the strength to do anything, & he kicked her straight in the face, breaking her nose though she fortunately wasn't sent into another tree. "What happened? You were doing well before! Why didn't you even try to dodge my attack?" Owin asked. "I-I-" Setsuna tried to say, but the pain was too great. "You're not dead yet! Can't you get up & fight! What's the matter with you?" Owin said as he walked over to Setsuna. "Maybe that was too much, brother. I don't think the humans of this plane can take that much pain. She seems to be seriously hurt". "Just from that? We were only going at it for only five minutes!" Owin asked exasperated. He looked over to Setsuna & saw that she had knocked out. "Oi, Setsuna, wake up!" Owin said, lightly slapping Setsuna on the face. She stirred a little, but was unable to wake up. "Do you think she might not be able to make it through the training?" Helmer asked. "If she wouldn't be able to, the Sword of Choosing wouldn't have accepted her. The fact that it did proves she can" Owin said as he picked Setsuna up & laid her down in the middle of the clearing. He pulled out his mana-saving artifact & caste a healing spell on her, her wounds disappearing & her ribs returning back into place. Setsuna stirred after a while feeling rejuvenated & refreshed. "Nice to see your up" Owin said. "Did I fall unconscious?" She asked dizzily. "Only for about five minutes. Rest a little, & then we will go at it again" Owin said as he put the artifact back into his coat. "Master, this is too much. Please, I don't think I can take it" Setsuna said as she tried to get her bearings. "I know. I'll tone it down a little bit. But now you see how hard the training is. Be happy. When brother & I trained, we were not fortunate enough to have the spell on us" Owin said as he sat down next to Setsuna. Setsuna continued to lay on the floor, her head still spinning. She couldn't believe this was the power of true magic. The only person she knew who could heal someone so quickly & so wholly was Konoka-Ojou-sama. There was almost no pain at all, & the only side-effect was that disorientation & dizziness. After a while, Setsuna got up & said that she was ready to continue.

"Now, we shall practice an extremely important factor in Keldon fighting. We shall practice running".

"Running?" "Yes. When we would fight thousands of enemies, we had to move very quickly, so we developed this technique which allowed us to fight without losing speed. We would use the life-force produced by our bodies to coat our feet. Brother tells me that in this plane, life-force is known as Ki. Do you understand how to use Ki?" Owin asked.

"Yes. I'm rather proficient in it" Setsuna said.

"Good. Now I want you to focus all of your Ki into your feet, letting it line around the foot".

"Yes" she said, & she began to try. It was easy enough to focus her Ki into her feet, but it was slightly harder to let it coat her feet. Her Shinmeiryuu training however, made her have to be proficient in this, so after a few tries she managed to do it.

"Good, even spacing all around" Owin said as he examined her feet. "Now, we're going to practice moving around. I need you to imagine yourself sliding on your feet as though you were on ice. Then I need you to move that way on the floor" Owin said. Setsuna managed to have an easy time with this, as it simply meant she needed to put enough Ki between her & the ground. Before long she was sliding on the ground. "Good. From now on, whenever we do spar training, I want you to use this technique. You have to get used to focusing on your Ki during combat to the point where you don't think about it. Now we begin the hard part of your training. We will now begin your pain management training" Owin said, while Setsuna stopped sliding.

"Brother! I don't think she's ready for that part yet!" Helmer said, a sudden frightened look on his face. "She will have to be. I'll heal her at the end" Owin said as he approached Setsuna, a knot of fear forming in the pit of her stomach. _This is even making Helmer-san frightened. What kind of training is pain-management?,_ Setsuna thought. "Setsuna, this part of the training will be to increase your pain tolerance, so it will hurt a lot. Remember that you need not fear death thanks to my spell, so don't get scared & listen to my instructions. Understand?" Owin said. "Yes" she said nodding, trying to not to show the immense fear she already had.

"Hold out your hand" Owin said as he conjured a small towel. "Here. Bite down on this" he said as he handed her the towel, which she then placed in her mouth. This only increased her fear, & it took considerable effort to stop her hand from shaking. "Are you ready?" Owin asked. "Yes" Setsuna said, slowing her breathing in order to calm herself down. Owin pulled a switchblade out of his pocket, pulled out the blade, & then plunged the tip into her wrist. Thanks to her previous training, this didn't feel to bad, until Owin pushed the tip slowly more down until it reached her bone, then he began turning the blade on its tip, causing Setsuna to scream in agony. Then he pushed the knife farther up her arm slowly, grating it along her bone. Setsuna's knees began to buckle & she was biting the towel fiercely as Owin's knife began to trace a very large gash all the way up to her shoulder. Biting on the rag did not help the pain much but Setsuna opened her eyes & took one look on her arm. The arm was bleeding profusely & the jagged skin was stained a deep red, her bone completely visible. The knife was discolored blood red all the way up to the handle, & blood would squirt onto Owin's hand. This more than the pain broke her resolve & she could feel bile rising into her mouth. She fell to the floor as Owin's knife continued to mark her arm.

"Get up, Setsuna!" Owin said. Setsuna could barely hear him as her head began ringing & she felt as though she were falling unconscious. Owin used his other hand to smack Setsuna in the face, waking her up a little.

"Get up, Setsuna! If you were in the middle of a battle & you're opponent sliced your arm, would you do as your doing now, cringing on the floor, waiting for your death to come? It is the same here! Rise, Sakurazaki Setsuna! You've been stabbed & sliced & cut before! This should be no problem for you!".

"The pain is too much!" Setsuna yelled in between screams, tears streaming down her face, her body screaming for her to run away, to get away from that evil blade that was hurting her so badly.

"Setsuna, I know you can do this! You know that you can do this! You can deal with this pain!".

"I can't! I'm not ready for this! I can't do it!!".

"Setsuna, look at me!!"

And she did, seeing his serious, stoic face. Him, her flushed, pale face covered in tears.

"Setsuna, I am a planeswalker, a being capable of transversing a universe ten times that of what you know, & do you know why I came to this backwater plane? For the scenery?! For the people?! I am came here for you! I am came here sensing there was someone here who was capable of learning & mastering our people's teachings, the first non-Keldon ever! The sword sensed you, my brother sensed you, & I sensed you! Are you going to give up with just this? Is this where the story of Sakurazaki Setsuna, the first non-Keldon ever to learn our style, a young woman I have seen capable of so many things then what she has, a woman with a strong as will as I have ever seen, ends?! Will you let the time I have put up now be for nothing, & will you give up the path of power as you are doing now?!"

Suddenly, Setsuna began to feel the pain much less than she did before, her strength returning as she listened to Owin's words. _That's right, _Setsuna thought. _I can't give up now. A swordsman's life is spent dedicating themselves to a life of pain & strength. If I want to get stronger, then there's no way I can give up here. If I gave up this, she might as well give up everything_. She thought of how Negi had not given up when he had fought Chachamaru in order to be tutored by Evangeline. How he had not given up when fighting Fate Averruncus, when fighting Takahata, when fighting Chao. He had always tried his best, never giving up until he had beaten them. Asuna, who wasn't even connected to the magic world, was training so hard in Kendo everyday so that she could get stronger, never complaining no matter how hurt she got. Even her Ojou-sama was trying her best everyday so that she could be a great magister magi. Would Setsuna just give up here, just with this pain? _No, _she thought angrily, _like hell I'll give up here! This isn't enough to make me quit! Not in a million years!_

Slowly, ignoring the shaking in her legs, the sharp pain in her arm, the ringing her ears, she began to rise, holding onto Owin's arm for support. "Yes, that's it!" Owin said as he continued to slice her arm, ripping apart her muscles & arteries, happy that at last it wasn't affecting her. "That's it! Rise! Rise, Sakurazaki Setsuna! Rise, future warrior of Keld! Rise & overcome this, & take your place as a true warrior!!" he yelled as finally she managed to stand straight on her feet, her face ablaze with a new fierce fire & determination. Now nothing hurt her. The skin & meat of her arm was nearly completely sliced off, hanging by mere skin & tissue but her face showed no signs of pain. She looked at her wounds with a new fierce stoic face, a face Owin knew all to well. He had seen this face on all the young of his people who went through this training & emerged from it with this new look, a look that spoke a single thought: I am not afraid to die, & pain is of no consequence to me. Now Owin had a smile on his face. Now he knew for sure that Setsuna was capable of this, & if his feelings were correct, hers would be an incredible new destiny.

Owin removed the knife from her arm & put it away, as Setsuna's arm continued to bleed all over the floor. Setsuna tried to move her arm though she was incapable of it now that the nerves & muscles were cut. "Owin-san, about these wounds…" Setsuna asked. "Speak no more. I'll heal it now" Owin said as he took his mana-artifact out of his coat. He cast the white healing spell, & Setsuna could see as the muscles, veins, & arteries were re-connected, new blood was created within her arms & her skin tissue was renewed. The one thing she hadn't expected though was that she now bore an extremely large, extremely puffed-up scar stretching from her wrist to her shoulder. "I wanted to ask you about this" Owin said as Setsuna pondered why the scar remained. "For us Keldons scars were a badge of honor, a reward for those who had gone through the strict training. However, I understand that you being a young woman, you might find scars to be ugly & unwanted. So do you want me to heal the scar, or should I leave it?" Owin said as his hand was still covered in white mana. "Would it be okay If we could hide the scar instead? I'll bear it, but seeing such a large scar may cause the others to worry" Setsuna said. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Yes. I might be able to understand how you Keldons lived if I live like you" Setsuna said as she looked at the scar. She was surprised however, when Owin began to laugh. "I'm sorry. It's just that I didn't expect that kind of answer" Owin said as he tried to control himself. He saw that Setsuna was blushing, & said quickly "It's not that you're answer was wrong. It's just that I thought you would reply differently. Anyway, I'm glad that you are taking an interest in our culture" Owin said smiling. He used the white mana on his hand to cover the scar. Suddenly, his artifact began to ring an alarm. "Oh, it seems it's running low. I will have to leave for a while" Owin said getting up. "Where are you going?" Setsuna asked as she stretched her arm to work out the kinks. "I will need to go to one of the core worlds to re-gather energy. Setsuna, training is over for today. We will continue tomorrow. Brother, would you like to come with me?" he asked Helmer. "I'll follow you after a while. There are some things that I need to take care of before hand" Helmer said. "Fine. I will be in Dominaria. I should be back by tomorrow morning" Owin said as he closed his eyes. "See you soon" Helmer waved as Owin seemingly stepped into bare air, & disappeared. "He-He just disappeared!" Setsuna said shocked. "Yes, that's what planes walking looks like" Helmer said, now standing next to her. "Now then Setsuna-kun, do you really feel okay?" He asked her. "Yes, don't worry about me. Now that Owin-san healed me, I feel much better. Though…" she trailed off, staring at the spot were Owin had planeswalked. "Yes? You can talk to me if you'd like" Helmer said. "Well, I was wondering…is the training really going to get harder then it already is? I barely made it through today" she said, scratching her arm. "Actually, I'm rather surprised. Brother took it rather easy on you" Helmer said as he sat down on the grass. "You mean it gets harder than that?" Setsuna said, unable to hide the apprehension in her voice.

"Setsuna, how big do you think are village was?" Helmer asked her.

"About one hundred to two hundred?".

"More like Fifty".

"Fifty?!" Setsuna asked incredulously.

"Almost every year there were about one hundred to one hundred-fifty children born, but only about twenty to thirty of those every year managed to live & learn the Warsong. The rest would all usually die during their training" Helmer said, a far-off look on his eyes as he remembered his childhood. "It wasn't uncommon that you would go to sleep everyday to find out your siblings or your friends all died during their training".

"That's horrible! Every year that many people would die! Why would anyone go through such horrible training!".

"For the same reason you are going through it now: For power. We would accept anybody outside the village who wanted to gain power, but nobody was willing to go through the harsh training to get it. The children of the village were not so lucky. All the children were forced to go through it until their fifth birthday. Then, we would ask each child whether they wanted to continue or not. Saying no meant that you were banned from the village, you & you're family would be shamed forever, & you would be forced to make your way out of the village through a path filled with creatures living in the mountains. Even for us, at five-years old, choosing that fate would be suicide".

"That must have been horrible for the parents" Setsuna said.

"Not as much as you might think. I understand that in this country dying during battle was considered a great honor, yes?" Helmer asked, to which Setsuna nodded. "In our country, it indicated that you were weak enough to get killed. If you died during battle, you & your entire family was dishonored. For one day the family of the shamed mourned, & the dead warriors name was stricken from our wall of warriors, never to be mentioned again. The only honorable death was one where you died from old age or sickness".

"& those that died from training wounds?"

"They were only children, so they were considered as unfortunates, though the fathers often considered them weak. For our people, weakness was a sin".

"That's horrible. That's way too horrible" Setsuna said.

"Indeed it was. It was too horrible too imagine & I hated being born in a country like that. I always considered it a curse. Did you know Owin & I had five brothers & sisters?".

"No. I didn't".

"Not one of them survived through the training. They all died before I was even born. Do you know what that is like? Having five brothers & sisters you never even knew, never even had the chance to talk to or to play with, & being told all your life that they were dead because they were weak? Because they couldn't take it?" Helmer asked.

"No. It sounds like Owin has no problem with it though".

"That's the one area my brother & I never got along. Brother had always admired our father, who was the leader of our tribe. Everyday my brother welcomed the hard & brutal training, saying that everyday it would bring him closer & closer to being as strong as father. My brother loved him to death, & everyday father would fill brother's head with nonsense about killing & the weak. Father was always a staunch believer of the Keldon code & would spout off that nonsense about how "the weak shall die" & " the weak deserve death" & "being strong is all that matters" & everyday my brother would drink in that garbage" Helmer said as he balled his fist in anger.

"I take it you hated your father?" "I despised him. My brother used to be kind & gentle until he began the training. But of course, you can see how he is now".

"Does Owin know about how you feel?".

"I don't even care to tell him. What changed him most was that day".

"'That day'?".

"The day our father was slain. It was a great shame for any warrior to die in battle, but even more so when that warrior was the leader. My brother couldn't live with it. All his life he had thought that father was the greatest warrior that ever lived, & here father had committed 'the ultimate sin'" Helmer said with a sarcastic tone, " & was killed in battle. For five days, Owin was conflicted. He loved father with all his heart, & yet he, by father's own teachings he should despise him for his weakness. He had always thought father was the greatest warrior of all, & yet here he was killed in a small battle. How In the world is a fifteen-year old supposed to deal with that?".

"So what happened?".

"Father's teachings won out, & to this today, Owin hates talking about father. I think he still has no idea of how to go about it, & is still conflicted. From that one stem Owin has become a man of contradictories, preaching & believing one thing yet going against it completely. When I asked him about, all brother could say was, "I don't know what to believe anymore"" Helmer said, & now, as Setsuna turned to look at him, she saw that he was crying.

"You must care for your brother a lot" Setsuna said with a smile.

"He is all I have left".

" & the people of your village?".

Without answering the question, Helmer got up & wiped the tears from his face. " I think I'm going to follow brother to Dominaria now. I suggest you take the time now to play with your friends, Setsuna, you may not have time later".

"Yes, but when do you think you both will be back?".

"We shouldn't be gone long. Be safe Setsuna" Helmer said, & then he walked into thin air & disappeared, leaving Setsuna by herself in the clearing.

Setsuna stayed there for a while, the cool breeze whistling through the trees as her hair blew behind her. Her body hurt from the training, but that was nothing compared to the hurt she was feeling in her head. When she had thought about it, she truly knew nothing about her new teachers, knew nothing of the world that they grew up in, & the world that only they knew, worlds she couldn't possibly imagine. & yet, after experiencing for herself some of the hardship they must have gone through, some of the pain they had to endure, & some of the anguish Owin had been in, she felt, just a little, as though she understood her teacher a little more. & that was enough.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Mahou Sensei Negima & Magic: The Gathering are not my property. Helmer & Owin are though. (Take that Copyright laws! J)

The Einzburg-Planeswalker Cycle

Chapter 7

It was the afternoon, & Setsuna had just returned to the dorms. Her mind was wondering about many things, mostly from the events of that afternoon, but right now she was wondering about how Konoka was doing. Konoka tended to be really clingy with Setsuna, but she was still worried about if she would be attacked during her training, so she had reluctantly left her protection to Asuna & Negi. She had entered her own room to see that it was empty. She left her school bag in the room then took off for Asuna & Setsuna's room. "Secchan!!" she heard someone yell, & saw that Asuna, Konoka & Negi had also just returned. "Ojou-sama! Did anything happen?" She asked as she ran toward them & Konoka jumped into her arms. "No everything went okay. You worry too much, Setsuna-san!" Asuna said while Konoka continued to hug Setsuna. "Where did you take off to in such a hurry, Setsuna-san? You had us all worried" Negi asked. "Eh? Negi-kun, don't you know? Setsuna is studying under Owin-san now" Konoka said. "With Owin-san? You can learn his fighting style?" Negi asked. "Yes. Apparently he said I'm the first person not from his world who can learn it. Though I still have a very small chance of learning" Setsuna said.

They all returned to Asuna & Konoka's dorm room & sat talking while Konoka made them all tea. "But still, that Owin guy is really really strong! When we fought him we didn't stand a chance in hell!" Asuna giggled while Konoka handed her her tea. "Yes, he is. During training I had to spar against him & I was soundly defeated" Setsuna said as she was handed her tea, to which she bowed to Konoka in thanks. "Jeez, we've been friends for years, Secchan! You don't have to act that way anymore!" Konoka whined as she handed Negi his cup & took a seat around the kotatsu between Asuna & Setsuna. "But still, planeswalkers must be extremely strong!" Konoka said.

"Yeah, but how do we know for sure if what that guy said was actually true?" Chamo said as he emerged from underneath Negi's jacket.

"Well, I did manage to see him planeswalk today. He & Helmer-san have already left this plane, & it looked like they just walked through an invisible door & disappeared".

"Yes but that could simply have been him teleporting or casting some invisibility magic" Negi said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Besides, who's to say that we should even trust this guy? Ever since he's gotten here all he's done is attack us!" Chamo said as he hopped out of Negi's jacket & on to the kotatsu.

"That's true, though he did seem nice enough to me. He even cured the wounds I received from today" Setsuna said, also in thought.

"Eh? You got hurt in training? What happened to you?" Asuna asked.

"A lot. I should have died, but he cast a spell to prevent me from dying".

"Was it really that bad? Exactly what did you receive?" Negi asked.

"Well… some broken ribs, my arm was sliced to pieces, & I believe I may have broken my back. & I was knocked unconscious" Setsuna said, to which everybody gasped.

"You see what I mean! He's definitely trying to kill her!" Chamo yelled.

"Yes, that's way too extreme for just training! But why don't you have any wounds, Setsuna-san?" Negi asked.

"Well, like I said he healed all my wounds like he did to Ayase-san".

"With that strange magic of his?" Chamo asked, still suspicious.

"Yes, the true magic".

"I don't know if that magic can be trusted. We have no idea what that guy is up to but we know for sure that his magic is not the magic we do. There could be a curse on it. For all we know, he could be using this to further his own plotting" Chamo said.

"Still, if he was trying to kill me he could easily do it without going through all this trouble. I don't think he is trying to hurt us" Setsuna said.

"Then how do you explain why he has been attacking us, & why he is hurting so many people?" Chamo asked.

"About that… I think it may have more to do with the place he lived in. He lived in a place where the strong ruled & the weak were killed without mercy. He probably just views everyone in the class as weak" Setsuna said, remembering what Helmer had told her of their home world.

"Even so, don't you think he should have a little consideration & realize that he's doing nothing but hurting people?" Negi said.

"To me…That's just the type of person he is. He doesn't seem to care about how people view him or what people think of him" Setsuna said.

"Either way, I don't think that we should trust him. He's already tried to kill Aniki a couple of times, & he even was able to stop Takahata" Chamo said.

"Maybe we should talk to him about it when he gets back from wherever he went?" Konoka suggested.

"Will he even listen to us? That guy isn't the type to talk about anything" Asuna said.

"We might have more luck if we try talking to his brother. He may not listen to us, but he definitely listens to his brother" Setsuna added.

"Helmer-san does seem a lot nicer than Owin does. I wonder how is it that two brothers can be so different" Asuna said as she reached into her back pack for a box of pocky sticks, offering one to everybody.

"Well, Fuma-chan & Fumika-chan act really different sometimes" Konoka said.

"Yeah, but Owin-san & Helmer-san act as different as night & day" Asuna said.

"In any case I think we should keep an eye on those two. If they really were what they say they are, then why would they come all the way here just to protect a class?" Chamo said as he sucked on his pocky stick like it was a cigarette.

"Owin-san said that he came here for me the first time I talked to him" Setsuna said. Then for some reason, Negi looked at her mouth agape in shock while Asuna & Konoka looked at her with suspicious eyes & covering their mouths like they couldn't keep from laughing. This puzzled Setsuna for a moment until she realized what she had just said.

"For training! He wanted me for training!" Setsuna yelled as she waved her hands in embarrassment.

"Still, that was a very dangerous statement, Setsuna-neesan" Chamo laughed as he continued sucking on his pocky stick, Setsuna yelling "You're wrong!" in embarrassment.

Night had fallen on the school, & still Setsuna could not sleep. She was sitting near the window to Konoka & Asuna's dorm, as she wanted to stay with them for the night. She was unable to sleep for some reason. Her mind was still preoccupied with had happened during training. What bothered her was what Owin had told her about her reasons, how she had said that her reasons for wanting to gain strength were wrong. She knew what he had meant as well. The fact that her reason was to protect Konoka. Owin had said to her that a Keldon warrior did not gain strength in order to protect someone or to have vengeance, but simply to have strength. In many ways, this went against everything that she had ever learned. She had always learned that there must be a reason to gain strength. Negi had wanted to obtain power in order to protect the class & to catch up to his father. Setsuna had wanted power to protect Konoka. Asuna had wanted power in order to protect Negi & stand by him as an ally. Yet here was Owin, a man she had only known for about a week, & he was telling her she needed to have power only for the selfish gain of power. In reality that was what it was: a selfish desire to gain power simply for oneself. How could that ever lead to true strength? Yet, he was infinitely more powerful than any of them. Could true strength ever be gained that way? Setsuna shook her head in confusion. All of Owin's teachings, the few that he had given her so far, completely flew in the face of everything she had ever learned. Not only that, she didn't even know if she could handle this. What was the point in obtaining more power when all she wanted was to protect Konoka-Ojou-sama?

Suddenly, Setsuna felt a presence moving behind her & she turning around, seeing it was Konoka. "Secchan, what are you still doing up? Its already near midnight" she said sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. "It's nothing, Ojou-sama. I'm just not feeling very tired" Setsuna said.

"Secchan, what's keeping you up?".

"It's nothing to worry about Ojou-sama. Please don't worry about me".

"Is it about Owin-san? You guys were gone all afternoon".

Setsuna didn't know how to answer that question. She didn't want to talk about what went in her training, especially to Konoka as she didn't want her to worry.

"Come on, Secchan, you can talk to me about it" Konoka said as she took a seat on the couch.

"Really, it's nothing to worry about, Ojou-sama".

"Secchan, you're using Keigo again" Konoka said as she began to pout.

"…Kono-chan" Setsuna said embarrassed.

"Why did you start calling me Ojou-sama again? You weren't calling me that before".

"I'm sorry Ojou-sama" Then upon seeing Konoka's pouting face, "Kono-chan!!".

"I'll make some tea. That always makes you talk" Konoka said as she went into the kitchen.

She came back around fifteen minutes later carrying a small plate with two cups of tea for the both of them. She handed one to Setsuna, who drank the rich lemon flavor & felt the relaxing warmth spread throughout her body. Truthfully, now Setsuna probably would talk to her about everything. Warm tea had that effect on her.

"Now, what's going on with you & Owin-san, Secchan?" Konoka said sipping from her tea.

"It's nothing that's really problematic, Kono-chan".

"You always say that when you are trying to hide something from me" Konoka said, once again using her pouting powers.

"It's just that…Everything that Owin-san is teaching me completely conflicts with everything that I have ever learned before".

"Doesn't that happen sometimes when you learn two different styles? You told me that once before" Konoka said.

"No, not just in sword fighting. I mean in beliefs".

"Beliefs?".

"All my life I have learned that in order to gain strength, you have to have a reason for it, like someone to protect, or something you want to achieve. Yet Owin-san says that in order to master his style, I need to want power simply to have it. He says that having a reason to want power is not enough to master the Warsong, that I need to want power simply to have power. It goes against everything I have ever learned before" Setsuna said as she watched the heat fly from her cup.

"Secchan, I think that's supposed to happen".

"What do you mean?" Setsuna asked as she looked up from her tea to Konoka.

"Well, Owin-san lives in a different world then us, right? He said his world has different rules & different physics than us. So maybe it also has different beliefs?" Konoka said smiling.

"Are our two worlds really that different?" Setsuna asked to no one in particular, than as she thought about it, she realized that really did make perfect sense. Considering the type of world that Owin-san had lived in, maybe in fact his people really did have different beliefs than his. His people lived completely different lives than what any of them ever had, so shouldn't their beliefs be correspondingly different? Setsuna laughed because she couldn't believe Konoka had figured that out so easily.

"I think you're right. Thank you Ojou-sama" Setsuna said.

"Secchan…"

"Kono-chan" Setsuna corrected herself, making Konoka giggle. "I think I'm going to go to bed now".

"Hold on, I'm going to back to sleep to.

The next day, everyone arrived at the class room for Friday, the final day before the end of classes & all the girls were excitedly talking about what they were going to do with their free weekend. After talking with Konoka for a while, Setsuna finally noticed that Owin & Helmer were not at their table. This meant that they hadn't yet arrived from wherever they were, & that had Setsuna worried. She asked Aisaka Sayo whether she had seen either of them, being that she was the only one they were really friendly with, but she said that she had not seen either of them since yesterday. Setsuna chose not to worry about it in any case. The two brothers were strong enough to handle anything.

A few minutes after the class was well into they're English lessons, suddenly Gandolfini-sensei came rushing into the room, looking disheveled & pale, & wanting to talk to Negi. The two shared quiet whispers until Negi declared that an emergency was going on & that Konoka, Asuna, Setsuna, Yue, Nodoka, Ku Fei, Kaede, Chisame & Mana were to go to the principal's office with Negi while the rest of the class was to stay in the classroom. Ignoring the other girls cries of "What's going on?" & "Why do we have to stay?" they all rushed to the office. Setsuna had a feeling she knew exactly what was wrong too: she had noticed that the principal had called everyone in the class who was capable of fighting, indicating that they're maybe another magical attack on the school.

They all entered the office to see the principal looking stern & grave, Shizuna-sensei standing behind him. "I trust you all have some idea as to why you are here?" the principal asked.

"Does it have something to do with when Chigusa-san attacked the school?" Negi asked.

"No, we have looked into that matter, & it seems as though that were a random attack she had instigated with the help of Fate Averruncus, though I am afraid that matter will have to wait. We have sensed something much stronger".

"What is it?" Negi asked.

"I trust you all know what a planeswalker is by now?" The principal asked.

"A what?" Gandolfini asked confused. It seemed as though Mana, Kaede & Gandolfini didn't know. The principal then took about ten minutes to explain what it was to them.

"That would explain how he was able to kill all those demons the last time-de gozaru" Kaede replied as she nodded her head at the end of the story.

"That's ridiculous. Sounds like a bad fantasy tale" Gandolfini replied shaking his head & adjusting his glasses.

"In any case, that's the general gist of the story. I think this power our readers have been sensing is something planeswalker related. Setsuna-kun, I have heard that Owin & Helmer-san have not reported for work. Do you know where they are?".

"They planeswalked sir. They are in a core world called Dominaria".

"That means we are going to have to defend ourselves from this threat our selves. Gandolfini-kun, I want you to call Takane-kun, Kotaro-kun & Sakura-kun as well as all the mage teachers in the school. We are going to need everyone's help for this" The principal said, to which Gandolfini replied with a "Yes, sir!" as he left the classroom. "Now then, we are going to place everyone at different positions around the school to protect it from all sides. I want everyone to keep in touch with one another to alert everyone if they see anything" the principal said.

"Sir, why is a planeswalker attacking the school?" Negi asked.

"On that, we don't know. We don't even know if the enemy is going to even attack the school. What we do know is that the enemy IS a planeswalker, IS coming here, & IS NOT Owin-kun or Helmer-kun. & with the both of them gone, I felt we may have to prepare for the worst".

"But sir, do we even stand a chance? Owin was able to kill all those strong demons so easily…What if the enemy planeswalker is as strong as them?" Nodoka asked.

"That might not be the case. Owin-kun & Helmer-kun were legendary planeswalkers, & were strong even before they ascended. Not all planeswalkers are as strong as they are. In any case however, if there comes a point in the battle in which you think you may be outmatched, I want you all to retreat. There's no point in fighting a losing battle. Now then, to preparations!".

Setsuna crouched on top of the school roof, nervously gripping her sword as she used her binoculars to see off into the distance. All those capable of flight, basically Negi, Setsuna, & Sakura were to guard the roof. Kaede & Gandolfini were guarding the east gate, Kotaro, Asuna & Ku-Fei the west gate, three mage teachers the south gate, & Takahata, & the principal were guarding the north. All the while, Mana was to provide covering fire from a nearby tower. Do to the small amount of people that they had, everyone had to be split into relatively four groups of two-to-three people, while the less combative people like Yue & Nodoka were left to the defense of the non-magical student on the inside & Konoka was to heal anyone that got injured. Setsuna was unnerved. Of everyone here, she stood the most chance of stopping the opposing planeswalker, since she was the only one here who was intimately familiar of how they fought. Only problem was she was soundly beaten, when Owin wasn't even serious about fighting. Her only hope was that this planeswalker was substantially weaker then Owin. Also she couldn't help but wonder what was taking Owin & Helmer so long to get back. If they would just hurry up & come back, then they wouldn't be in so much trouble.

"Setsuna-san, do you sense anything coming?" Negi asked her through her pactio card.

"No, Negi-sensei, I haven't been able to sense anything. What about the others?" Setsuna replied as she held her card to her forehead.

"No one has sensed anything either. No one knows when he will come" Negi said.

"Negi-sensei, I have a question".

"Yes?"

"How was the principal able to sense the appearance of another planeswalker?".

"Apparently, it is some sensors that were created by Helmer-san & Owin-san".

"Is that so?" Setsuna said. _So it turns out those two are capable of something good_, Setsuna thought. Though she did wonder just how reliable this technology was.

"Setsuna-san, how is Owin-san as a teacher?".

"He's very difficult. He never accepts failure, but he does have a good side to him"

"Do you…do you know why is it that he hates me so much?" Negi asked with some difficulty. Setsuna wondered about this for a few seconds before giving her answer.

"I think its because Negi-sensei is a lot like Owin-san was when he was a child".

"What do you mean?"

"When Owin-san was a child, he admired his father very much, just as you do. Helmer-san told me that Owin used to train a lot to catch up to him, just as you do". Negi became very quiet after a while then sighed.

"But still, why does he hate me for that?"

"Owin-san's father died, & now Owin-san is confused as to whether he hates him or not".

"Why would he hate him?".

"It's a long story, but let's just say his love for him clashes with his own beliefs, & he hasn't been able to put his doubts to rest yet".

"I see. Now that I know this, maybe I can get along with him now".

"I hope so".

"Thank you very much, Setsuna-san".

"No need to thank me, Negi-sensei" Setsuna said as she ended the conversation & went back to her mission. No one could sense the planeswalker yet, nor any kind of disturbance in the air. The problem was that no real disturbance was felt whenever a planeswalker planeswalked: They would just appear out of thin air. The only hope that they had of being able to sense him was with Owin-san's detector. All of them had been given a detector that would ring whenever it had detected the abnormal power that all planeswalkers channeled, what Owin had referred to as "mana". He also said that due to the fact that they were in a inner rim world, they would feel magical energy on a cosmic level. Setsuna continued her scouting. Takahata-sensei & the principal were talking with some of the mage teachers that were stationed inside the school, relaying instructions to everyone on the inside. Setsuna knew that everyone on the inside must have been wondering what was going on, being they didn't know of magic. The principal had wanted to do this at night, however the readings were too strong to leave anything to chance. There was a planeswalker near, & they couldn't afford to take any unnecessary risks. Suddenly shocking Setsuna out of her reverie, the detector began to ring. All around everyone stationed at around the schools began shouting instructions as they all readied themselves. Setsuna was the first to notice what was odd.

The sky was turning black.

It looked as though a giant mouth had opened up in the sky overhead of the north entrance, a great dark maw that began to suck in the surrounding air. They all felt huge gusts of wind buffet them toward it, & they all had to hold onto something so as to not be sucked in. Lightning began to flash overhead as thunder mixed in with the great roar of the mouth. Then suddenly the mouth began to rapidly shrink & disappear as a sonic boom was created, the empty space once occupied by the great hole now instantly filling with air. Then they saw him.

He looked at once very similar to Owin in his armor, but yet totally different. He was completely coated in an evil looking black fog, wrapped around him like a cape. He wore no helmet, but his face was scary enough in itself. He was a handsome man somewhere in his mid-fifties, but the cold, heartless look he now wore sent shivers down Setsuna's spine. He was wearing jet-black armor, similar to the one she had seen Owin wear during his vision, but this was more ordain, more fanciful, with a skull design on the shoulders & knees. He was even carrying a large bastard sword, at least nine-feet long. He flew in the air & came to a stop in front of the school, landing.

The planeswalker appraised them with cold, uncaring glances, & walked straight to Takahata & the principal, who miraculously, seemed to be completely calm.

"How can Takahata-sensei be so calm? That guy is going right toward him!" Asuna said, using her pactio card.

"That's just what you would expect from a member of Ala Rubra!" Negi said happily. Setsuna was not so sure. From her position, she was almost able to hear their conversation.

"Where is he?" the planeswalker asked calmly.

"Where is who?" the principal asked.

"The one that has been with those two".

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean" the principal said, as calmly as though he were talking over tea.

"I do not have the time for this. Tell me where he is or begone from my sight" the planeswalker said, looking slightly agitated.

"Sorry, but we have a feeling you're talking about one of our students. If it's like that, then we can't help you" Takahata said, his hands in his pockets, preparing to strike.

"Then I hope you have washed your necks" the planeswalker said. Then suddenly he yelled "BECAUSE THEY"LL SOON MEET MY BLADE!!" & in a giant explosion everyone could no longer see what was going on. After the dust had cleared, they saw the principal protecting himself with a force field while Takahata had dodged to the side, the planeswalker's sword left a huge crater in the ground where he had struck. Takahata then used his Kanka skill & there was another giant explosion. The planeswalker sidestepped the attack & teleported straight to Takahata, in a way that Setsuna recognized to be exactly the same as Owin's. Takahata barely dodged the attack, but the planeswalker countered with a kick that sent him flying straight through a tree. At that moment the principal let loose with a giant lightning bolt that hit the planeswalker dead in the head. Unfortunately the planeswalker merely shrugged off the attack & charged straight for the principal. Suddenly he was hit with a shot from Mana, which despite it not hurting the planeswalker, it did buy the principal enough time to block the sword strike with his force field. By then Negi had charged into the battle with the other mage teachers, who all began casting lightning bolt spells at the planeswalker. He then dodged each bolt as it came. Realizing that all she was doing was watching, Setsuna snapped out of her reverie & flew down to join the battle. Negi let off with one hundred wind arrows that caught the planeswalker dead in the chest. Shrugging off the attack, the planeswalker slashed into the air with his sword, which created a crescent wave that flew right at the mage teachers. One was caught in his arm & was left with a gash while the rest were able to barely dodge it. Wasting no time, the planeswalker then charged right toward Ku Fei, who had just joined the battle with Kotaro. Ku Fei managed to block his overhead punch but was caught dead in the stomach with a knee strike, then thrown right into Kotaro. It was at the moment that Setsuna saw what he had done. He was using the same movement technique that Owin had taught her. Now she knew he was definitely connected to Owin-san.

Looking at Negi, they both came up with the same silent plan, & Negi let loose with another hundred wind arrows, which the planeswalker impatiently slapped away with his sword. In the split second that it took for him to do that, Setsuna flew right toward his back & slashed. Unfortunately, not only did this planeswalker have Owin's techniques, he also had his uncanny speed, & he was able to turn around quickly & caught her blade in his hand. Then he looked directly into her eyes, & smiled that same cold, uncaring smile. "I've found you" he said, his voice filled with glee. "If death is what you're looking for, then yes, you've found it!" Setsuna said as she kicked his hand off her sword, & twisted around to slash at his side. Just like Owin had before, this planeswalker stopped her sword with his finger. "My, aren't we feisty today" he said with relish as he gripped her sword in two fingers & broke off the tip. Then he grabbed Setsuna by the throat & held her up to his face. "Yes, I can see it in you. You've gone through the training" he said as he examined her face. At that moment, the teachers launched more spells, which were then blocked by a large force field placed around the planeswalker & Setsuna like a bubble. "What in the hell are you talking about?" Setsuna asked as she scratched & clawed at his hands in a feeble attempt to break free. "I mean Keldon training, dear girl. You've been hanging out with those two wretches haven't you?" he asked. Setsuna gasped. This man knew Owin & Helmer, but judging by the way that he was speaking of them, there was no way he was a friend. He then threw her to the floor & Setsuna started breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. "I can smell their scent on you dear girl. How far have you progressed?". Getting up on shaky legs, Setsuna coated her feet in Ki & nearly teleported straight toward the planeswalker, her sword at her side getting ready to stab him. He made no effort to dodge, & when her sword hit, it didn't even manage to pierce his armor. "Did you think that such a flimsy sword could pierce through Keldon armor dear girl? Didn't those two teach you anything about us?" he asked as he laughed at her pointless attempt of killing him. Suddenly he charged his Ki extremely quickly, causing it to push Setsuna away. "Why you!" Asuna yelled as she charged straight toward the planeswalker, her colossal bastard sword held high. The planeswalker side-stepped her attack & was met with a kick to the stomach from Asuna. She then turned quickly to slash at his side, which he blocked with his armguard. She then used instant movement to teleport behind him & kicked at his back, which connected. The planeswalker then twisted & grabbed her leg attempting to throw her. At that moment Mana let loose with a shot that hit the planeswalker directly at the side of his head. Asuna then grabbed his hand & slashed at him, clanging right into his armor. Unable to break through the armor's thick-coating, Asuna tried kicking his legs. Her legs colossal force clashed right into the unyielding armor, & Asuna grimaced as her legs went slightly numb. Seeing the opportunity, the planeswalker grabbed Asuna's arms & threw her directly into the school building, Asuna going unconscious from the collision. Takahata then used instant movement to get behind him & unleashed a Kanka blast. The planeswalker jumped up right before the attack made contact, & was met in mid-air by Kaede, who used her Kage-Bunshin jutsu, & the planeswalker was met with ten Kaede's who all grabbed the planeswalker's arms, & sent him spiraling into the ground.

Everyone relaxed now as the planeswalker was pinned to the ground by the Kaede.

"Good work, Kaede-kun" said Takahata as he moved in front of the planeswalker. "No problem at all-de gozaru" said all the Kaede's. Takahata bent down low so he could speak to the planeswalker. "Now then, what is it that you want with Setsuna-kun, planeswalker-san?" Takahata asked. "I have no need to say anything to a mere human like you" the planeswalker said calmly. "You've been defeated. There's no point in hiding anything from us now" Takahata said. The planeswalker began to laugh, that cold, indecent laugh that sent a shiver down everyone's spine. "I've been defeated, have I? Are you all even aware of the kind of havoc I can release upon your pitiful, insignificant world? Of the kind of things I can do?". "You won't be able to do anything as long as Kaede-kun has you pinned to the ground" Takahata answered. Suddenly, a sword tip erupted straight through Takahata's shoulder, a short thin sword colored azure blue. "Who do you have pinned to the ground?" said the owner of the sword, revealed to be the planeswalker himself, still smiling that same cruel, calculating smile. Everyone looked toward Kaede who looked down in amazement & disbelief as all her shadow copies were holding onto thin air. He removed the sword from Takahata's shoulder as Takahata grimaced & groaned in pain. Setsuna then used instant movement to teleport behind the planeswalker while Asuna used it to go to his front both of them swinging their swords directly to his head. The planeswalker then quickly charged his Ki again, causing another huge explosion that sent everyone flying away. Setsuna coughed as she landed on the floor, spitting out blood. The planeswalker then slowly walked toward her with his sword in his hand, eyeing his next target. Setsuna quickly searched for Yuunagi, only to see it suddenly burst into flames. "You won't be using that sword right now, dear girl. I'll be sure to make your death quick & painless" he said. Seeing no other option, Setsuna attempted to fly away with her wings, but as soon as she got off the ground, she was caught in the leg by a long black whip & was sent smashing into the ground. "Haha, I do love it when my prey refuses to go quietly. It makes the look of fear on their face all the more sweeter" He said, now with a sickeningly cruel looking face. Setsuna thought over her options. She couldn't fight, couldn't flee, & she looked around & saw that everyone was still reeling from the explosion. Setsuna began to panic. There was nothing she could do. "Have you finally realized your coming demise, little girl, has the truth of it finally sinked in now? Don't worry, it will be over soon" He said as he held his sword overhead. Setsuna looked into the eyes of this monster, & could see the look of a murderer. She was about to die, & no one could stop it. Her eyes welled up with tears. Her body began to shake. Her world, her life, flashed before her eyes. She remembered her life in the village, where she was hated by everyone for her wings & lineage. She remembered playing with Konoka. She remembered her training in Shinmeiryuu. She remembered her years in Mahora Gakuen. She remembered meeting Negi, becoming friends with Asuna, the Mahora festival. By now she was crying, realizing she would never see Konoka or Negi or Asuna ever again. "Please…p-please don't" Setsuna begged, & the planeswalker laughed that horrible laugh again, making Setsuna cry even more. "That's the sound I've been waiting for. The sound of a proud warrior begging for mercy right before I kill them. It's so sweet to hear grown men cry, but it's even better to hear it from a girl. Thank you for giving me that wonderful sound. Now I bid you adieu, dear girl. You were entertaining to the last" he said, as he held his sword on high. "P-Please…no…PLEASE, DOOON"T!!" Setsuna yelled, & suddenly she heard a clang of metal on metal.

(This next part of the story is played to the tune of "D.M.C", the opening theme to the Devil May Cry anime.)

Setsuna opened her eyes, her body still shaking. _Am I already dead?_ she asked herself, realizing her body still hurt. She looked up & saw two men with swords having blocked the planeswalker sword strike. "I knew you two were here" the planeswalker said, smiling even more. She looked at the two, & saw that it was Owin & Helmer, returned from their trip. "Setsuna, get everyone out of here, now!" Helmer yelled as he & Owin pushed away the planeswalker's sword. The planeswalker moved back as Owin charged straight toward the planeswalker & suddenly let loose with sword slashes so fast that it looked as though he had multiple hands. Setsuna realized now that Owin was breaking the planes power barriers as he had told her before, & that was causing the unnatural phenomenon. The planeswalker was blocking & moving with the same amount of speed, & Helmer soon joined in the battle. Despite how fast both brothers were moving, the planeswalker materialized another sword & was fighting both brothers on each side, one with each arm. Fire & ice began materializing over the two brothers as fireballs & spike-shaped ice went flying to the planeswalker, who blocked them with his ugly black mist, all the while they kept up their blisteringly fast sword fight, high winds enveloping them like a tornado. Only now did Setsuna notice that they were using the warsong as guitar music filled the air, fueling the their strikes. _Setsuna, what in the hell are you doing?! Get off your ass & get everyone out of here!_ Owin yelled inside her mind. Broken out of her absent-minded watching by the unexpected telepathic intrusion, Setsuna got up & tried to quickly rouse everyone. After a while she was able to get everyone into the building when a sudden explosion of roars rang through the music, & Setsuna looked to see three gigantic, ferocious dragons, one a fiery crimson, another a deep azure blue, & the third a deep black obsidian, fighting each other as the three planeswalkers began teleporting all over the school in their frenetic, light speed fight. Letting loose with wild abandon, the enemy planeswalker began shooting off extremely large crescent moon slashes that tore through the surrounding buildings, causing them to collapse. _Setsuna-kun, it's not safe here! This guy won't have any problem destroying everything! Tell the principal to place a barrier around the school! We won't be able to stop everything he throws!_, Helmer yelled telepathically, & Setsuna saw what the planeswalker was trying to do: He was trying to distract Owin & Helmer by destroying the buildings in order to create an opening. "Principal! They said that we need to create a barrier! That planeswalker may try to attack the school next!" Setsuna said, & without a word the principal & the other mage teachers began casting a barrier spell to protect the school. As Setsuna returned to watch the battle, her heart nearly leapt to her throat. Almost all the buildings in the town were now either destroyed or on fire, & the three planeswalkers were now fighting within the flames, a colossal tornado enveloping them, & the three dragons now taking their fight high into the air. Now all she could do was hope that somehow those two would be able to pull it off.

"Wilhelm!! Today you will die!" Owin yelled as he pressed the attack on Wilhelm with his lightning-fast sword slashes.

"Not today young one! You're still too weak too challenge me!" Wilhelm yelled as each one of Owin's attacks were countered.

Owin was starting to get worried. Despite the fact that both brothers were going as all-out as they could afford, they were still only in a stalemate with Wilhelm. Somehow Wilhelm had acquired way more power than before. Owin couldn't tell how he was doing it, but he was now able to take on both brothers single-handedly without too much effort. Suddenly, Owin felt it & he knew Helmer had felt it as well, & they both faltered.

They felt the destruction of a plane.

"You bastard…how did you learn that technique?" Owin asked as all three of them stopped fighting, the city burning all around them.

"You noticed now, did you? It really is a shame that you two were the only ones who could use this, though I learned it after a few…practices" Wilhelm said.

"Don't you realize what you have done? You've just destroyed an entire plane of existence! Are you that insane?!" Helmer yelled in anger.

"You two should talk huh? Considering you two have used this technique before" Wilhelm laughed. He was suddenly met with a sickle & chain heading straight to his face, which he blocked with his sword. "Don't you dare say anymore you bastard" Owin said, his face etched in anger. Then Wilhelm looked up & he seemed angry. "Tch… they just had to interrupt. Well then, my dear friends, I'm afraid this is where we must part" Wilhelm said as he bowed & disappeared. "Wait, damn you!" Owin yelled as he prepared to planeswalk, when his brother held him back. "Don't, brother. We have other matters to take care of here" Helmer said as he looked around at the city covered in flames. "But this is our chance! We can catch him now!" Owin yelled angrily. "We've got to explain all this to them though" Helmer said as he looked toward the sky. Owin focused upward then realized it. "Ah. I didn't notice it until now" Owin said nodding as suddenly a troop of about one hundred planeswalkers appeared in the sky & landed on the ground near them.

"Are you the planeswalkers Owinheim Planeswalker & Schrothelm Planeswalker?" asked the one in the lead, a tall blond woman wearing a blue uniform that all the others were wearing, a large flashy badge on her breast indicating her as Captain. She walked up to them as the other planeswalkers began to survey the damage to the city. "Yes we are" Owin said.

"I will ask you now: are you the ones responsible for this?" she asked.

"You just missed him. We were fighting when he sensed you coming & ran" Helmer said.

"Then I believe it was Wilhelm Planeswalker that did this?".

"That's right".

"& he was also the one who destroyed the nearby plane?"

"Yeah. We felt it when it happened, & soon after that he left" Owin answered. "There is no way to bring the plane back, is there?" Helmer asked the girl. "You know the answer as well as I do. That plane is gone forever" She said with a slightly sad tone.

"Are you still unaware of Wilhelm's whereabouts?" Owin asked.

"Yes. He along with you two, are considered the four greatest planeswalkers in the Multiverse. There is very little we can do to stop him. If only we could get the great dragon king to side with us".

"He is too proud to join with you. Brother & I have tried to convince him time & time again, but he outright refuses" Helmer said.

"I see. Are you two still unwilling to join as well?".

"Yes. We will help you against Wilhelm, but we don't want to have to be weighted down with the responsibility" Owin said.

"I see. I will relate that to my superiors. In the meanwhile we will restore this location to its previous condition, & we will wipe the survivors minds clean. There will be too much trouble if everyone here goes into a panic".

"Can you leave the ones belonging to Mahora Gakuen? We are working with them right now" Helmer asked.

"Fine. This is the one part of my job I hate though".

"All these people will forget about those that died right?" Owin asked.

"Yes. If it wasn't for something so important, I wouldn't do it them" she said, looking apprehensive.

"It's either that or this plane learns about magic. It would be to hard for the magicians here".

"Yes. This is one of those planes were magic is not known to everyone. In any case, we will begin with the repairs" the girl said as she commanded the other planeswalkers to begin repairing everything. The other planeswalkers then pulled out little thin containers, which they then smashed on the ground, releasing white, black, blue, red & green mist into the air beneath their feet. These were special artifact containers that the planeswalkers of their organization used so that they could cast spells even in inner rim worlds, known simply as "Mana Containers". The planeswalkers gathered the energy into their hands & began casting spells to reverse the damage the battle had caused. All at once, as though time were moving in reverse, the fires were all put out. The houses that were destroyed were rebuilding themselves, & the bodies of the dead disappeared into thin air. Blue orbs flew toward those in the city that were still alive, & a calm serenity shadowed their faces as they forgot about all that had taken place today, & all their loved ones that had died. Within only a few minutes, everything that had happened in the battle was made to be as though nothing had happened at all.

"Well then, we'll be off now" the captain said as she began rallying her planeswalker troops.

"Hope you have a safe journey" Helmer said.

"Thank you. You two will be here for a while?"

"Yes, we have some business here to take care of".

"Fine. If we have need of you, we will be sure to visit you here" she said, then her & her fleet planeswalked away.

Helmer & Owin stood their for a while as the people of the city continued about their daily lives, completely unaware of what had happened to their city.

"Brother, we'd better explain everything to the people at the school" Helmer said.

"Right" Owin said as they began walking toward the school.

While some people were hurt, thankfully no one had died. Setsuna watched as Konoka began to heal all the teachers & students who were hurt in the attack, her own wounds already gone. Though she hadn't been hurt all that badly, she still couldn't stop shaking. The image of the planeswalker as he stood over her, his sword held high, ready to slice her head off was still fresh in her mind. She still remembered that cold, remorseless smile & that sadistic look in his eyes. Today, she had come close to dying, & she knew she would still see that planeswalkers eyes in her nightmares.

She was still thinking about this when she saw Owin & Helmer walking toward the school from their battle in the city, talking to each other & looking preoccupied. Takahata & the principal both walked up to them when they got to the entrance.

"Owin-kun, who was that planeswalker? I think having fought him that we deserve an explanation" the principal said as everyone began to gather around Owin.

"Well…it's kind of long story" Owin said. "We have the time" Takahata said. Owin glared at Takahata for a while before saying "Fine" & sitting on a nearby chair.

"That planeswalker is named Wilhelm. Like brother & I, he too is from Keld. He was also a Legend, before our time. In fact, next to brother & I, he was the biggest Legend of them all, famous not only for his cold, merciless ways, but also for helping the most to bring the Keldons to a large mercenary powerhouse. However, he was almost disgraced by our people because one day he just vanished & disappeared without a trace, never to be heard from again. While our people never learned what had happened to him, brother learned it was because during a battle he had ascended to Planeswalker. Unfortunately, he is now completely insane, & desires to rule over the multiverse".

"So you two are fighting to stop him?" Asuna asked.

"In a matter of speaking yes. He has done many things to brother & I, so we want to kill him for revenge" Owin said.

"What has he done to you?" Negi asked.

"None of your business. It doesn't concern you all anyways" Owin said as he got up & stretched. "I'm going to go rest. That was a bit of a hard battle. I suggest you all do the same" he said as he got up to leave, Helmer following behind him. "Setsuna" Owin called as he was a few feet away, "We won't have training today, so just rest until tomorrow" he said.

"Yes, I will".

"Oh, by the way…" he said, causing Setsuna to look back at him.

"About your battle…Good job. I'm glad you didn't die" he said, continuing on his way. Setsuna stopped for a second. "Wow, I think that's the first time he's ever shown concern for any of us before" Asuna said as everyone nodded in agreement. Setsuna stayed staring at his back. _Could it be that he's changed?_, Setsuna thought. She couldn't have imagined Owin ever saying something like that. & why did she feel a little happy at the thought?

Usually whenever I write these fanfics, you may all notice that I tend to use the standard Japanese honorifics. I have felt no need to translate these as almost everyone who reads Mahou Sensei Negima tends to know what these honorifics mean. However, as many people do not know this, I felt the need to explain Konoka's usage of "Keigo". "Keigo" in Japanese is the usage of polite language, namely honorifics. Setsuna is commenting that Setsuna is using Keigo by continually referring to her as "Ojou-sama". She basically feeling sad that Konoka is referring to her so formerly & wants her to feel comfortable enough to refer to her simply as Kono-chan. Most manga's neglect to mention that, so I felt the need to explain it.

Thank you for reading my fanfic & double thanks if you continue to read it. Any reviews & constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: You'd think that after eight chapters that I could finally stop having to post this but…(sigh)…Mahou Sensei Negima & Magic: The Gathering are not my property. That should get the law off my back.

The Einzburg-Planeswalker Cycle

Chapter 8

It was a dark field, surrounded by the bodies of dead soldiers. The ground was stained red with blood, as human body parts laid scattered across the ground. Owin was walking through the battleground, wearing his full obsidian armor & dragging his favorite bastard sword behind him. As far as he could see, there was nothing but bodies, the air heavy with the smell of death. Owin stared at the carnage with a cold, uncaring glance, far to caught up with his own problems to care. Owin wasn't aware why, but for some reason, he was crying. Silent tears ran down his cheeks as he continued his silent death march. Suddenly he heard a groan, & in front of him, a man tried to get up as the open hole in his side bled profusely, his arms scrambling between holding himself up, & trying to stop his intestines from leaving him. Upon walking up to him the man took one look at Owin & his pained expression changed to rage. "You! You're a monster! My whole village was destroyed by you! You & you're damned mercenary village! Damn you! Damn you & all those born from you! May you burn in the abyss for the atrocities you've done!" the man yelled angrily, seemingly forgetting about his wound. Without even really listening to him Owin gripped the man's face in his hand, squeezing his head until it exploded in a shower of blood & gore, the man's screams echoing throughout the field. All the while, Owin continued to cry…

Owin awoke from his troubled sleep with a start, his body drenched in sweat & shaking. He groaned & put his hand to his head, a headache now coming on. It had been a while since he had dreamt of that night. The night his life took a downhill turn, only a few days before he had ascended to planeswalker. It was one of the worst nights of his life. The day when he had found out his father was killed in battle, the day he himself was chosen to be the new leader, & the day he had slain his record of 3.4 Billion people. Every now & again that dream would come again to haunt him. The sight of that battlefield haunted his dreams more than any other, & always Owin had remembered that one man, the one who cursed his family, & how Owin had cried throughout the entire ordeal. Even now as Owin brushed away the sweat covering his face, he knew there were tears mixed in. It had been quite a while since Owin had thought about his father. Even now Owin still didn't know what to think of him anymore. Was it love or hate that he felt whenever he thought of him? Owin looked around the school roof, & saw that Helmer wasn't there. Owin dismissed it as he had probably went out to town, & went back to his restless slumber. He knew sleep would not come for him again that night.

After getting dressed & having a short breakfast, Setsuna left her dorm & went to Konoka's. Since it was the weekend, they were going to go have fun at Evangeline's resort with Haruna, Nodoka, Yue, Ku Fei, Kaede, Kotaro, Asuna & Negi. Evangeline miraculously didn't mind about them using her resort for fun, though she did say that they would have to train at least one day &, with a malicious grin, said that Negi would have to pay his "price". Setsuna had to admit that she was excited to get to play with everyone, even if she did have to leave a little early for her training with Owin. She knocked on the door & heard Konoka say "Come in!". She opened the door & found Konoka cooking breakfast while Negi & Asuna were still asleep in their beds. "Secchan, good morning!" she said as she flipped over the eggs on her pan. "Good morning Kono-chan. Negi-sensei & Asuna-san are still not awake yet?" she said as she sat on the couch. "Yeah, they both don't want to wake up" Konoka said pouting as she continued to cook.

"Doesn't Asuna-san have her paper route today?".

"No, not today. Her boss decided to give her a break since she rarely ever takes one".

"Do you want me to wake them up?".

"If you could please, though I doubt they will. Those two can sleep like logs sometimes".

Setsuna got up from the couch & walked over to the ladder, climbing up to it to get to Asuna's bunk. "Asuna-san, please wake up, it's morning already" Setsuna said as she shook Asuna's shoulder. Asuna shrugged her shoulder & mumbled sleepily. Deciding she must have been very tired, Setsuna gave up & tried to wake up Negi, who woke up with far less trouble. After Konoka, Setsuna & Negi all ate their breakfast, Asuna finally decided to wake up, though unfortunately her breakfast was already cold.

After Asuna finally got ready, Setsuna & the rest all left for the World Tree, where they then met Haruna, Yue, Nodoka & the others. They walked to Evangeline's resort while talking about different things normal girls usually talked about, right up until the subject came towards the planeswalker brothers.

"So what do you guys think about Owin & Helmer-san?" Haruna asked.

"Helmer is fine, but Owin can be an asshole sometimes" Asuna said.

"Yeah, Helmer is nice to all of us, but Owin seems to hate us-aruyo" Ku Fei added.

"I don't think he's too bad-de gozaru" Kaede added.

"He's never tried to hurt you" Yue said darkly.

"Hey, Sakurazaki-san, you're always with him. Why does he hate us so much?" Haruna asked.

Setsuna thought about what she was going to say for a while, then said "I don't think he necessarily hates us. It's more like he's used to killing things that he finds annoying".

"Even if he did come from that country, you'd think that he could at least be a little bit nicer-aru" Ku Fei added.

"He does seem to care about us though. Otherwise I don't think he would have tried to stop that other planeswalker from killing us" Setsuna said.

"Yeah, but I think that had more to do with saving you, Sakurazaki-san" Haruna added with a mischievous grin. Everyone giggled at this & it made Setsuna blush.

"It's nothing like that! It's because I'm his student!" Setsuna said, waving her arms in a panic.

"Yeah, yeah, we understand Sakurazaki-san" Haruna replied with her mischievous grin, making it clear her suspicions weren't gone.

"But still who would have thought that Secchan would be able to master a fighting style from another plane" Konoka added as they stopped at a stoplight.

"He said that I was the first person not from their plane that has the potential for it. Because of that he feels that they're must be other people in the multiverse who would be able to master it" Setsuna said.

"You know, maybe that means someone else in this plane is capable of using it. Does Owin-san know of anybody?" Asuna asked.

"He doesn't think there are anymore. He says I was the only one he had sensed, & even then it was by accident".

"So then he's searching for more people with the potential?" "Yes, that seems to be the case".

"Wow, that's like looking for a needle in a haystack" Konoka said.

"Yes, he says he & his brother have been looking for over a hundred years".

"Yeesh, how old is Owin-san anyway?" Haruna sweat dropped upon hearing that.

"I'm not sure, but I think he has a longer life since he's planeswalker".

"That's clear, unless he's lying to us-de gozaru" Kaede said.

"Kamo-san doesn't seem to trust him in any case" Setsuna said looking at Negi.

"Well of course I don't! He's done nothing but bad things ever since he got here!" Kamo said as he poked out of Negi shirt & out into the open.

"Kamo-kun, what are you doing! We're still out in the open!!" Negi said as he shoved Kamo back into his shirt, a group of girls staring at him & wondering where the voice had come from.

"But it's true. How can we really trust him when all he's done is hurt us?" Yue asked.

"Maybe it would be better for the other girls to leave him alone? He only attacked Madoka because she tried to slap him" Nodoka said.

"I think that may be the best thing to do. Owin-san prefers to be left alone" Setsuna said.

"Sakurazaki-san, can't you talk to Owin-san about being nicer to us? He's not going to get a good reputation if he keeps this up" Haruna asked.

"I'll try, but I don't think that Owin will listen to me".

"Oh yeah, Secchan, what are you going to do about your sword now that that planeswalker destroyed it?" Konoka asked as she looked at Setsuna's usual sword bag.

"I don't know if Yuunagi can be repaired. In the meantime, Touko-sensei lent me one of her swords & is trying to find someone who can repair it, though she says it doesn't look good" Setsuna said sadly.

"What happened to it-aruka?" Ku Fei asked.

"That planeswalker broke off the tip then set the whole sword on fire".

"That planeswalker was unbelievably strong-de gozaru" Kaede said as she remembered their battle.

"Yeah. He beat me like I was nothing-aru. Are all planeswalkers that strong-aruka?" Ku Fei asked.

"No. Owin-san told me that not all planeswalkers are as strong as he, Helmer, & Wilhelm are. In fact, those three are three of the strongest planeswalkers in all of the Multiverse, them & another one known as the Dragon God" Setsuna explained.

"So does that mean that if other planeswalkers attack, we might have a chance against them?" Yue asked.

"Owin-san said maybe, but that it's a very slim chance, especially if they are able to use their true magic. He said it would be wiser just to run" Setsuna said.

"Well, at least that's somewhat reassuring to know-aru" Ku Fei said, smiling.

"Did Owin-san tell you about this dragon god?" Yue asked.

"He said that he & Helmer are friends with him. He was the very first planeswalker ever, & is the last of the true Elder Dragons. He's worshipped as a god throughout the Multiverse" Setsuna explained.

"Wow, imagine how old that planeswalker must be. He must be over a thousand years old" Konoka said.

"More than that. Owin says that not even he knows how old the dragon is" Setsuna said as they entered the forest where Evangeline's house lay. "He's one of the only planeswalkers from before the Mending that are still alive".

"What happened to the rest of them?" Yue asked.

"Owin said that they have all died out mostly, defeated by other planeswalkers".

"Wow, I wonder how many of them there were" Konoka said.

"Owin-san said that the only one he's met was the Dragon God. He said that the Mending occurred before he was born, so he's never gotten to meet any others. He estimates though that there were probably about a thousand".

"In the whole multiverse? That seems like a little bit-de gozaru".

"Yes. Owin-san told me that before the Mending, planeswalkers were much rarer than they are now. For some unknown reason, planeswalkers are more common now. He says they're at least over five million now".

"That still sounds rare-aru".

"Well they wouldn't be very special if there were lot's of them would there?" Konoka said as they finally arrived at Evangeline's resort. Negi knocked on the door & were greeted by Chachamaru, who was wearing the maid outfit she frequently wore when she was alone with Evangeline.

"Ah, Negi-sensei & everyone, good morning. Master is already in the resort so please go right in" she said as she closed the door behind them. They went inside & entered the resort, Evangeline sitting on a large dining room table sipping red wine.

"It's about time you all got here. If you're going to use my resort for your asinine games the least you could do is arrive on time" Evangeline said as she got up.

"But master, we've arrived on time" Negi said when Evangeline began to grab & pinch his cheeks, Negi crying out in pain.

"Where do you get off talking to you're master like that! You should have arrived at least half-an-hour early! Don't question your master again!" she said as she pinched his cheeks harder.

"Geez, Eva-chan, why are you so pissed off today?" Asuna asked.

"I'm not angry!" Eva said as she finally let go of Negi's cheeks.

"All right everybody! Let's go play!" Konoka yelled, & they all ran to the beach area.

It was the top of the school, & Owin was overlooking the city. He was having trouble sensing where Setsuna was. She was tied to this plane still, but somehow she also seemed to be in another plane. "What's wrong, brother?" Helmer asked as he was balance-walking along the edge of the roof.

"I'm having trouble sensing Setsuna's location".

"Why don't you try calling her?".

"I need to know her location for that, remember?".

"I mean with a cell phone".

"What's a cell phone?" Owin asked getting up.

"This. One of the girls in the class showed me how to use one" Helmer said, handing Owin the cell phone. Owin opened the cell phone & looked at the device quizzically, pressing random buttons as the picture on the screen changed & it made random beeps. "What the hell kind of device is this?" Owin asked as he continued pressing random buttons. Helmer took the phone & said "It's used to contact others with the same device. The humans of this plane use it to contact others from far away. It comes in handy a lot" Helmer said as he began pressing more buttons & a dial tone came on. "Hello? This is Sakurazaki" Owin heard from the phone. "Hello, Setsuna-chan? This is Helmer. Owin couldn't tell where you were & he was getting worried" Helmer said, prompting a "Fuck you!" from Owin.

"I'm with everyone at Evangeline's resort. You guys can come if you like".

"No, we're going to be doing something else. Don't forget that you have training at eight o'clock".

"I won't. I might train with everyone here today too".

"Good, good. Have fun" Helmer said as he hung up the phone.

"They're at the resort?" Owin asked.

"Yes. Mostly it's Negi-sensei's group".

"Why do you call that brat "Sensei"? It's not like he's your teacher".

"Unlike you brother, I show respect to people". This made Owin grumble.

"We have nothing to do" Owin said.

"Indeed".

"Want to go kill some people? Alleviate the boredom?".

"You really are evil, brother" Helmer said sweat dropping.

"Then you find something better for us to do".

"Want to hang out with the other girls from the class?".

"Hell no. They hate me & you might do something bad to them".

"What do you care what I do to a bunch of girls? I thought you didn't care about them".

"I don't, but every time we find some girls, you do something that causes us problems. Remember that one time in Mesembra?".

"How was I supposed to know she was the king's daughter?".

"She was yelling it to you. There were guards chasing after you. She wore a fucking crown".

"Okay, okay, I get it".

"Well that's why I don't want you getting to close to any of the girls here".

Helmer sighed & the both of them sat back down.

"There's nothing to do" Helmer said.

"Indeed" Owin said.

"I know! Why don't we try playing a video game?"

"Video game?".

"Yeah. The humans on this plane do it when there is spare time. It is supposed to simulate different worlds & is basically way to pass the time".

"Hmm. Where can we do that?".

"Come on, we have to go to the city for the arcade".

Owin & Helmer teleported to an empty area near the city & walked to the arcade so as to not arose any suspicions. Owin was surprised at just how many people were in the city that day as it became hard to walk without bumping into anybody. "Japan really is a pretty big city" Owin said. "Reminds you of Dominaria, doesn't it?" Helmer said as they arrived at the arcade, kids running in & out of the building, & lots of noises & lights coming from the place. "We're going to need some money" Helmer said as he reached into his pocket, chanted a quick spell, & pulled many coins from his pocket. "Here, brother" Helmer said as he gave Owin about fifty-thousand yen. "The games all have instructions when they first start out, so just put in the money & enjoy" Helmer said as he went to a machine called "Arcana Hearts". Owin, not knowing what game to try first, went for one that was empty: "House of the Dead 4". The game came with a small plastic gun which Owin took in hand & began to shoot at the screen. The screen said that he needed to put at two thousand yen before he could begin, & once he did, small instructions began to flit through the screen, saying that he there was an outbreak of zombies & that he needed to shoot his way out. He saw as a man & woman talked while attempting to escape from a building filled with the creatures. After a while Owin was able to take control, & he had no problem at all shooting the creatures with great accuracy. He could hear cheers coming where Helmer was, & saw that a large crowd had formed around him as he defeated someone. Owin continued to shoot through the hoard of zombies, never taking a hit as he made through to the second level. He was forced to fight giant bosses along the way, but he didn't have a problem with it at all. Pretty soon, two teenage boys had noticed how well Owin was doing, & before long, Owin himself had a large crowd behind, cheering every time he easily conquered a level. Before long an hour had passed, & Owin had beaten the game, & everyone cheered offering him words of praise for his accomplishment. Helmer was still having a large wave of challengers waiting for their chance to play. "Are you good at this game, brother?" Owin asked as he moved over next to Helmer. "Mildly. I seem to be winning quite easily against these people though" Helmer said casually as he defeated his opponent & the machine yelled "Perfect!". His opponent walked away, his face filled with shock & awe as another young man stepped up to play. "You know of any other games that would be good?" Owin asked. "Really it's better if you just choose among the ones available, brother. Everyone has different taste in games" Helmer said as the game yelled "11-Hit Combo!". Owin pushed his way through the crowd & began searching through the available machines, trying to search for one that was empty. He finally saw one called "Virtua Fighter 3" & placed his coin. It had appeared to be a fighting simulation where Owin could select any one of the available fighters. He choose a young man in a white outfit that Owin had heard was called a "Gi". It had said that the young man was named "Akira Yuki" & Owin was set to fight someone known as "Wolf Hawkfield", a rather large man with a ponytail. Owin was having no end of trouble trying to master the controls, & it wasn't long before he was beaten, a countdown flashing on the screen asking if he wanted to continue. Angry that he had lost, Owin deposited another coin & continued. Once again, he lost. Agitated, Owin continued putting in more & more coins, each time being defeated by Wolf. Owin grew so angry that he punched the screen, & the glass broke, smoke rising out from the gapping hole.

Helmer had heard the loud smash & looked behind him to see Owin with his fist in the machine, one of the employees running over to Owin's location. "I knew this was going to happen. I _knew_ this was going to happen" Helmer said exasperated as he rushed over before Owin killed someone. "Sir, what in the world do you think you are doing to our machine?!" the employee yelled as he tried to hold Owin around the waist. Owin was so angry that he didn't even notice & continued to destroy the machine while he yelled obscenities that his translator artifact couldn't translate. "Brother, please calm down!" Helmer yelled as he grabbed Owin's shoulder & used magic to teleport he & Owin back to the school roof. "Don't think you can make a fool out of me, you fuckin' machine! I'll send you back to the trash heap you came from!" Owin yelled, still in his blind rage. It took a few minute of thrashing & cursing before Owin finally realized that he was back on the school roof. "I got angry again, didn't I?" Owin asked. "Are you kidding? I'm pretty sure that we're going to be banned from the arcade now" Helmer answered. "If it wasn't for that mother-fucking machine I would never have gotten so angry!" Owin yelled with his fist clenched. "You really need to learn to control your anger, brother. You're anger gets us in more trouble than my womanizing" Helmer said exasperated. "Sorry. I think it's better that we just do something else" Owin said.

She was having so much fun training & playing with everyone that Setsuna had forgotten that she needed to meet Owin for his training. She looked at her wrist watch to see that it was already 6: 50 PM.

"Sorry everyone, I have to go" Setsuna said as she changed out of her swimsuit. Konoka looked sad to see her go, but she along with everyone else said they're good-byes as they continued playing in the beach, splashing each other with water. Setsuna took her cell phone out of her bag & dialed Helmer's number. After a while she heard Helmer's voice.

"Hello?".

"Helmer-san? It's me, Setsuna".

"Oh, Setsuna-chan. What happened? You're late for training".

"I know. I need you to planeswalk me out of Evangeline-san's resort".

"Resort?".

"Oh, you haven't been here. It's a world that Evangeline created in a globe. Once I'm in here I can't get out for a whole day, but you two can planeswalk me out".

"You know, this is one of those things that you really should think out before. Brother would be really angry if he found out that you weren't going to make it on time. He's really strict with training".

"I know but I forgot. Can you please get me out of here?"

"Yeah fine".

"Thank you".

"No problem" she heard behind her, & she jumped a little when she saw Helmer standing right behind her with his cell phone in his hand. "Could you please not sneak up on me like that?!" Setsuna yelled as she clutched her chest. "Sorry, sorry" Helmer said laughing. He then grabbed Setsuna's arm & asked Setsuna "are you ready?", to which she replied yes. Suddenly, she then felt her stomach lurch & her eyes hurt so badly that she had to close them before the air suddenly became colder, & the cold marble of the resort changed to the hard tiles of the school roof. At first Setsuna could not stand because of how disoriented she felt. Helmer, seeing her distress, helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Yes, I just felt really dizzy. I didn't expect planes walking to feel that bad" she replied. "Yes. I forgot to mention that non-planeswalkers tend to not take well to it. It should have been easier since that plane exists within this one. Do you feel better now?" he asked as she tried to get up to her feet. "Yes, I feel better now, thank you" she said as she used his arms as a support. "Glad to see you made it on time" Owin said as he walked over to them. "I'm sorry for almost being late, Owin-san" Setsuna said, still holding on to Owin's shoulder for support. "As long as you're here" Owin said. Suddenly, Owin teleported at Setsuna's direction & before Setsuna could even blink, Owin's sword was at her throat. Setsuna was so shocked that she couldn't move, & she looked at Owin thinking that he had meant to kill her. Instead, Owin looked rather disappointed. "The least you could do is be alert though. Enemies come for you the most when you are tired" he said as he retracted his sword & Setsuna breathed. "I'm sorry. I still feel dizzy" she said. "Well hurry up & pull yourself together. We're going somewhere today" Owin said.

"Going somewhere? Where?".

"Planeswalking" Owin said.

"Wait, we're going to planeswalk again?" Setsuna asked, already feeling her body turning at the thought.

"That's right. This world isn't really cut out for much of our training. I've decided that we're going to go to another world from now on" Owin said.

Helmer moved over to Owin & they began to talk in hushed voices. Setsuna was left by herself, trying to pull herself together before she had to go again. She still felt nauseous just from 'walking the short distance that they did. Now she had no idea where they were going to go, & she didn't know if her body would be able to take it. Owin & Helmer walked over to where Setsuna was & Helmer asked "Are you okay?".

"I just need to rest a little more. I'm still feeling nauseous".

"Still? It doesn't really feel that bad, you know" Owin said.

"Leave her alone, brother. She's not used to it" Helmer said as he moved to Setsuna's side to offer his arm again. "That's what I always mean, you know. You never have any consideration for others & always think about yourself. It's no wonder not many people like you".

"Whatever, Let's just get going. I get the feeling something's going to happen" Owin said as he looked toward the sky.

"Maybe that planeswalker from the other day is coming again?" Setsuna said.

"No, if that guy were going to strike we would definitely have felt his presence by now" Helmer said. "Still, brother, what is it that you are feeling? Is it another one of your "feeling" feelings? You know, the one's that have an unfortunate habit of coming true?".

"It's exactly one of those. That's why I'm saying let's hurry up & go" Owin said impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Owin-san. I don't know if I'll be ready to go yet" Setsuna said as she tried to stand on her own before falling to one knee.

"It's all right. It's better we wait anyway. If we go while you're fatigued, you'll just end up dying" Owin said as he gazed at the sky.

"Brother, what's wrong? You've been acting weird for a while now. Is it still the bad feeling?" Helmer asked as he walked over to him & gazed at the sky.

"Brother…You don't think he would show up, do you? I mean, why would he come here? It would be problematic for him to show up now…".

"Are you talking about Wilhelm?".

"No. The Dragon Lord".

"Oh. I don't see any reason for him to show up now. Why would he take the time to come here?".

"Perhaps he was drawn here? From feeling Wilhelm, & the destruction of that other plane".

"…I don't think he would come here just for that. Maybe for some other reason. If you're so concerned about it, why don't we postpone her training for now? We could just go tomorrow, & wait here in case he arrives".

"I'd rather not let Setsuna slack in her training".

"Is it so important that she train like we did? I'd rather spare her the pain".

"The path will be harder for her, for she was not born from our plane. If anything, to get as good as we are, she will have to train twice as hard as we ever did. I can't afford to let her slack".

"But brother, did you ever ask if that was she wanted? I keep getting the feeling that we're just using her".

"If essence, we are. But she stands to gain much from this exchange. She shouldn't complain. There's no need to worry, brother. If everything goes according to plan, she will not hate us for this, & we will gain a valuable new comrade".

"If that is what you say. Anyway, do you want to wait here for today?".

"….Let's wait for about an hour. By then Setsuna should have recovered". Owin said sitting down.

"Fine. Setsuna-kun, brother is worried about you, so we're going to wait for about an hour before we leave" Helmer said as he walked over to Setsuna while Owin yelled "Fuck you!".

"Thank you, Helmer-san. Within an hour, I think I will be okay to go" Setsuna said, grateful for the reprieve. "No problem. Just sit down & rest" Helmer said as he sat down next to her. Owin continued to stay staring at the sky, as though he were waiting for something. Seeing his odd behavior, Setsuna leaned over to Helmer & asked him what was wrong with Owin.

"Oh, it's nothing. He's just worried that the Dragon Lord is going to come here".

"You mean the Dragon God that you were talking about before? The one who is also one of the three kings?".

"Yeah. We don't know if this plane can hold that much power".

"But why would he come here?".

"That's what I am trying to tell brother. There is no reason for him to come here. Brother seems to think that it may have something to do with Wilhelm coming here".

"Is the Dragon god really so powerful?".

"He is the oldest planeswalker ever, & unlike brother, Wilhelm & I, he doesn't use the Warsong, yet he can still stand against us all. If you look at it that way, he's stronger than brother & I. You don't survive for so many years by knowing simple parlor tricks".

"Is he a friend or an enemy?".

"Thank the gods he is a friend. He is not someone you want to have as an enemy. Don't worry, Setsuna-chan. We won't have to fight yet another planeswalker".

"I'm glad. I think I am beginning to feel much better" Setsuna said as she began to stand, the dizziness finally leaving her.

"Okay. Brother, we can leave now" Helmer said as he touched Owin on the shoulder.

"Brother, do you not sense it yet?" Owin asked as he continued to look at the sky. Helmer was about to ask him what he had meant when suddenly he felt it. A great force, much like his own, was heading directly to their direction. He looked toward the sky & saw that once again, just like on the day Wilhelm attacked, the sky had turned black. Thunder & lighting pierced through the sky, & a great wide chasm opened above, the immense vortex sucking everything from birds to trees into its belly. Then at once, as though it had just teleported there, a great gold dragon appeared in the sky. It only took half the beast's belly to completely cover the city, the creature appeared to be at least one-thousand feet long & five hundred feet across, not including it's wings, which was at least eight-hundred feet wide. The creatures scales shined an amazing gold that was as blinding as the sun, & its face was at once terrifying & handsome. The creature raised its head & gave a great roar, a roar that shattered the newly placed windows in the school, a roar of such great magnitude that Setsuna felt as though her ears would burst. Then the creature lowered its head & stared directly at Owin & Helmer, both of whom bowed down in humility. & they said:

"Hail, O mighty Dragon god, glorious king of kings. Hail, the mighty Nicol Bolas".


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Mahou Sensei Negima is the property of Ken Akamatsu & Del Rey. Magic the Gathering is the property of Wizards of the Coast & I don't own either property. Got it? You damn well better…

The Einzburg-Planeswalker Cycle

Chapter 9

The great beast looked on to the two men before it & his mouth twisted into the dragon version of a smile. "It is good to see you both alive & well. I had come upon feeling the power of the fourth, but it seems as though you were able to move him on his way. Good job both of you" the beast said, its voice a deep rough growl that shook the very foundations of the school. The two got up from their kneeling positions & talked to the dragon warmly. "Indeed, mighty one, we were able to remove his foul influence from this plane. Luckily the guild had intervened once they felt him destroy a neighboring plane" Helmer explained. "Yes, I felt a plane collapse. He had something to do with that?" the dragon king asked. "Mighty Bolas, he used plane-infusion" Helmer said, & Setsuna, who had been paralyzed with fear of the dragon thus far, saw the beasts eyes widen then contract in surprise. "That monster has learned how to use that old forbidden technique?" the dragon asked. "Apparently so. We both were fighting against him, & we were only able to hold him off" Owin said. "& yet you two were able to put up a much better fight before. This is troubling news indeed. It may take all three of us to defeat him should the time come" Bolas said as he pondered the news.

"Wise dragon god, if I may have permission to speak?" Helmer asked bowing.

"Please, dispense of all these formalities & speak plainly. It is becoming rather annoying" the dragon said tersely.

"Well then, friend Bolas, can you please take on human shape? Dragons are rather rare in this part of the world" Helmer said as he sweat-dropped. Students & people of the city were milling all around the school & screaming in terror of the behemoth that towered over their city. "Ah, so that is what all this noise was about" Bolas said, & after muttering a few words, he became surrounded in a blinding white light, & his form shrunk enormously until it was on the school roof, & at once the light dissipated, & a man stood before them. He was a blond-haired man with a slightly delicate looking build, & he seemed to be no more than five feet high. His features were kind & beautiful, most prominently his high-pointed ears, & his bright gold colored eyes, the same hue as his scales. Setsuna found it hard to believe that such a colossal dragon could transform into such a handsome man.

"Um, Lord Bolas, elves are even rarer in this country than dragons" Helmer humbly said.

"I will not disgrace myself by taking the form of a human. Elf-form will have to do" Bolas said simply as he walked toward the edge of the roof. He then began chanting a couple of words while the mass of people down in the courtyard pointed & talked about him. "You two, cast a shield spell on whoever you do not want wiped. This spell is rather large" he told them as mana began to amass on his hands. Owin & Helmer then began to mutter words as well & balls of mana began to fly off to into the school, one stopping before Setsuna & entering into her mind. After a few more minutes, Owin & Helmer said that they were done with their casting. Bolas then raised his hands into the air & brought them bashing together. A huge ripple erupted from his hands & spread throughout the city, & almost everyone was knocked down from the shockwave. Setsuna ran over to the edge of the roof & leaned over to see, & she saw everyone getting up & muttering things like "Where am I?" or "What happened?".

"It is a memory-wiping spell. This way no one will remember seeing me" Bolas explained to Setsuna. She gulped in nervousness & nodded, giving him a small bow. "I suppose this child is the one you two are training?" Bolas asked pointing at Setsuna. "Indeed. She is Sakurazaki Setsuna, the very first Keldon warrior not from our plane" Owin explained. "Can such a tiny child learn the method? She's not even a woman yet" Bolas said as he walked around Setsuna, examining her & making her feel embarrassed. "In this plane, she is actually rather good with a sword" Helmer said. "Of course, after our training, she will be the best in the plane" Owin said with a smirk. "With you two teaching her, I have no doubt. But can she herself take it? Your people our rather unique after all" Bolas said as he took Setsuna's hand & saw the calluses she had developed from her kendo training. "Of that we don't know what to say. As of yet she has had only one class. We were about to hold the second when you graced us with your visit" Helmer said. "Hmm. Would you mind if I accompany you? I'd like to see for myself the mettle of her soul" Bolas said as he held Setsuna's face gently & looked into her eyes. She looked & saw that his eyes were a magnificent shade of gold, & that while they were patronizing & arrogant, they were also just a little kind. "Of course, you may, Bolas. We are going to leave now then" Helmer said as he walked over & took Setsuna's hand. "Are you ready, Setsuna-chan?" he asked. "Yes" Setsuna said, her stomach tying into knots as she braced herself for the sudden transition. Almost instantly her view changed from the familiar skies of Mahora Gakuen to a barren wasteland. The cool breeze of the school rooftop transitioned into an uncomfortable heat, & the view of buildings & people transformed into rocks & dead trees. Due to the sudden change, an instant wave of nausea swept over Setsuna, much worse than before, & she crouched & vomited. "I knew it would be harder for her this time" Helmer said as he bent down & held Setsuna's hair back as she continued vomiting. "She'll get used to it after a while" Owin said nonchalantly as he & Bolas began to survey the surrounding landscape. Setsuna could only distantly hear what they were saying as she continued to vomit & dry-heave, her own body cold & shaking despite the heat. _I'm going to get used to this?!_ Setsuna thought as she finally stopped emptying her stomach enough to only dry-heave. "Can't you simply use a healing spell to stop her?" Bolas asked.

"This is better for her training. She needs to learn to recover from almost anything as quickly as possible" Owin said.

"You really are a tough teacher".

"She deserves nothing less".

After a few more minutes of dry-heaving, Setsuna finally found enough strength to stand on her shaking legs. "Wait, Owin-san…I just remembered…I don't have my sword anymore" Setsuna said as she breathed heavily.

"I know about that. I will give you one of my swords" Owin said as he materialized a long sword which embedded itself in the ground. "That is an old sword from back in my younger days. It served me well, & I am sure it will do the same for you" he said as he plucked the sword from the ground & handed it to Setsuna. It felt heavier than Yuunagi had, but she was confident that she would get used to it eventually. It was also slightly longer than her old sword, though only by a few centimeters. It also had a handle guard, which was shaped like a half-square, the ends protruding out in the same direction of the blade. She recognized that the sword was foreign & not in the same style as her katana, since the sword was double-edged.

"Does a double-edge bother you?" Owin asked, shocking her in the middle of her thinking. "How did-" Setsuna began when Owin cut her off saying "you know what I was thinking?".

"Yes" Setsuna said.

"I can read minds. Does a double-edge bother you?" he asked her again.

"It's just that, I can no longer do my battojutsu moves" she said as she continued to examine the blade.

"Battojutsu?".

"It is quick-draw moves" Helmer explained to his brother.

"That won't matter right now. After a few hours of training, you'll move fast enough that you're lack of moves won't matter" Owin said.

"What do you mean?".

"This world has a much higher speed barrier than your world did. When you return to your world, you'll move almost as fast as brother & I do. You're normal strikes will be as fast as a quick-draw."

"From only a few hours of training?" Setsuna asked amazed.

"Yes. Of course it will probably be much harder than you seem to think it will be" Owin said as he walked away, putting some distance between he & Setsuna.

"But Owin-san, for how long will we be here? I have school in the morning" Setsuna said as she gripped the sword in her hand, anticipating an attack from her teacher.

"Do you really think that this world would use the same time that you're world does? An hour in your world basically equates to about a week here. We have all time in the world to train you. Now that we are no longer so limited by your world's barrier, we can begin with much higher training" Owin said as he materialized his black long sword & held it behind him with the tip touching the floor. He held out his hand & muttered a few incantations, & once again Setsuna felt the same warm glow & the same energizing invigoration fill within her.

"This will be a sparring match. Go all out & don't hesitate. Understand?" Owin asked her as he tightened his grip on his sword. Setsuna nodded her head in response. "Remember what I told you, don't think, _feel_" Owin said as Helmer stepped in between them. "Ready…Go!!" he yelled, & before a second passed, Owin teleported straight toward Setsuna with a slash to her side. Anticipating the attack, Setsuna blocked with her sword, used instant movement to get behind him, & slashed at his back. Owin teleported & sensing danger, Setsuna immediately pivoted, bringing her sword up just in time to block a overhead slash from Owin. Seeing him teleport again, Setsuna tried to turn around, but ended up tripping on her feet. As she fell, Owin appeared, & he kicked her straight in the face, sending her flying a few feet. Tasting blood in her mouth, Setsuna slowly got back up to see Owin watching her. "Have you forgotten my lessons already? Or did they leave from one ear & out the other?" he asked.

"I was able to sense your attacks! I am learning!" she said angrily as she spat blood out of her mouth.

"Yes, you certainly did much better than last time, of that you can be sure. However, what about the other thing I taught you? About movement?" he asked.

After thinking for a half second, she realized what he was talking about. She had completely forgotten about coating her feet with ki like he had taught her. She cursed herself for not realizing it faster, than thought back about the match. _He continually teleported behind me, forcing me to turn in an uncomfortable manner. If I hadn't been so focused on the fight, I would have noticed that I was going to get tripped_, she thought.

"Are you going to take all day or what?" Owin asked, waiting. Setsuna then closed her eyes, concentrating her ki into her feet & allowed it to cover them, now being able to slide on the floor. Suddenly sensing danger, she opened her eyes quickly & brought up her sword just in time to block a thrust from Owin. "I never said we were taking a break" Owin said to her as he teleported behind her to slash her head. Now easily able to move, Setsuna ducked & slashed at Owin's side. Blocking the strike with his bare hand, Owin kicked directly into Setsuna's side, causing her to grimace from the pain. Still holding onto her sword, Owin brought his other arm around & attempted a thrust at Setsuna's head. Setsuna was forced to let go of her sword, & ducked to avoid the deadly tip. She then used instant movement to go to Owin's side, grabbed his arm, & unfurled her wings, using them to fly high into the air as she carried Owin up with her. "Fool!" Owin yelled as he attempted to stab Setsuna through her stomach. Setsuna let go of the man for the instant the sword passed, then flew back down to grab his arm & throw him pummeling toward the ground. Owin met the ground with a sickening thud & a large dust cloud irrupted where he landed. Flying down to grab her sword, which had fallen in the middle of the exchange, Setsuna brought it up quickly to her side as Owin teleported in front of her & slashed at her head. She then tried to front-kicked him in the stomach, sending him back as she brought her sword to her side & tried to stab at his stomach. Owin deftly allowed the sword to go in between his side & arm then brought his hand up & around her sword as he used the leverage to smack the sword away from her hands. Now sword-less, Setsuna fell into her fighting stance, her feet spread apart with her left food leading, her left hand extended with her right hand balled into a fist underneath her shoulder. Owin watched her for a second before teleporting behind her with a slash to her head. Setsuna anticipated the strike & ducked underneath. She then grabbed Owin's hand with her right hand & grabbed his elbow with her left. She then forced his hand over his shoulder in an attempt to knock him down. Suddenly, at the exact moment that his hand touched his shoulder, Owin shoulder-tackled Setsuna, sending her flying back a few feet. She was just getting up when Owin came at her quickly with a jumping overhead slash. Setsuna quickly moved to her right & heard the loud thud Owin's sword had made upon impacting with the ground. Owin's wasted little time in attacking again as he dragged the sword across the ground to slash at her head, which Setsuna dodged by getting into a sitting position. Immediately after dodging the fatal slash she was kicked in the face by Owin, sending her back & sending another wave of blood through her mouth. Luckily, Setsuna was able to catch her footing & flipped into a standing position. Upon getting up she managed to see Owin coming at her with a another swipe to her head. Setsuna bent down in order to dodge & was met with Owin's knee as it drove itself into her forehead, causing a large cut, making her flip in the air & making her grunt in pain. In that split second Owin brought his fists together in the air & brought them down directly on her back where her lungs would be. Then wind was knocked out of Setsuna, & she was thrown to the floor, where she coughed, her lungs now desperate for air. Owin then went to her side & kicked Setsuna right where her kidney would be, making her scream as she headed for the floor. Owin then teleported where Setsuna was headed & kicked out with a roundhouse kick. Setsuna managed to anticipate this & grabbed his leg, both hands touching on his pressure points. Setsuna thought she had the match won when he brought his sword up, point down & drove the tip directly into her shoulder. Setsuna screamed in pain as the sword was driven down through her arm, stabbing its way out & once again leaving her arm in tatters. Owin ripped the sword from her flesh & front-kicked her in the face with his other foot. Setsuna flipped in the air & landed kneeling, grasping her arm as blood flowed from it profusely. She looked to her side & saw that her sword was still quite a few feet away, while Owin was silently watching her, awaiting her next move. Setsuna thought quickly. _I'm still completely out-classed, but I want to get a least a hit on him. The problem is I need to get my sword back. _She looked again at her sword & thought_ If I can just dodge his next strike, I might be able to get my sword back before he pressures me again. But, _she thought as she looked at her wound, blood completely having covered her shirt. _This is still very serious. The pain isn't too bad now, but I'm not going to be able to use this arm for the rest of the battle. _Owin was still watching her, driving his sword into the ground in front of him & letting both hands rest on the sword's pommel. _He's waiting to see what I'm going to try next. Is he going to willingly give me the initiative? This doesn't sound like him at all. What the hell is he plotting?,_ Setsuna thought as she gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the pain like she had before. Owin closed his eyes & appeared to be meditating. To test him, Setsuna moved her foot slightly. Instantly Owin opened his eyes & went back to watching to her. _Damn. Even with his eyes closed he's still completely aware of every move I make. He'll know exactly what I am going to do by the time I try to move. _

"It seems like she can't move" Bolas said as he & Helmer observed the battle. "Yes. Even though he's not moving, brother will be aware of every move that she makes. The only thing she would be able to do is move faster than him" Helmer said as he scratched his chin.

"Yet that is impossible".

"Yes. That won't work on him. The match, in truth, was over before it even began. This is just to test what she would do".

"How well she thinks in battle".

"Exactly. She needs to find someway to counter him or else the match is over".

Setsuna was still holding on to her arm, which by now how had completely numb. All she had was a one-armed body with no sword & her wits. Her mind was buzzing trying to find some way to fight, something to do before Owin grew impatient & decided to end the match. Owin had gone back to closing his eyes while she continued to think. _Rushing him is out of the question. He'll know what I'll do before I do it. Grabbing the sword is out of the question. I have a feeling he already knows I'm aiming to get the sword back. Wait for him to attack? No, he'll counter me in turn. What can I do…?_, she desperately thought. _What would be the least expected route? Maybe I can catch him off guard with something reckless? Rushing him…but he'll be ready for that as well… What would he do in a situation like this?_, she found herself thinking as she looked at him, his eyes still closed in apparent meditation. _Wait, would he fall for that?_ she thought as sudden inspiration hit her mind. Thinking her plan might work, Setsuna went back into her fighting stance, Owin's eyes instantly opening at the sense of her movement. Using instant movement, she rushed the warrior.

_What is she doing?_, Owin thought simply as pulled the sword out & blocked her high kick from his right with his sword handle. Right after the kick connected she used instant movement again to get behind him. Owin swung his sword around to slash at her midsection. Setsuna dodged the slash & once his sword came above her head, she grabbed his hand with her only functioning one & twisted it around, causing Owin to drop it momentarily. As though her life depended on it, Setsuna made a desperate grab for the sword. Owin smacked her away with his other hand, & grabbed the sword back himself. Then as she flipped in the air & landed, he charged straight toward her & thrusted, the sword completely impaling her through her stomach. As the hilt was driven into her stomach, he looked at her face, & saw that even though she was in pain, he saw a hint of a smile on her. _So that's it_, Owin thought as he pulled the sword out from her. She grabbed his wrist & kneed him in the stomach, causing Owin to let go of his sword. She then crouched as quickly as possible & did a somersault kick, sending Owin flying into the air while she grabbed the sword in midair. Owin flipped in the air & landed a few feet away while Setsuna landed in a crouch, using her arm to both hold onto the sword & keep her organs from leaving her through the rather large hole in her stomach.

"Was the point of that to take my sword?" he asked.

"That's right" she replied.

"At the cost of your stomach? Were it not for my spell, you would have been dead long ago".

Setsuna grimaced as yet another pang of pain rang through her body, her arm growing hot from all the blood & organs it was touching. "Like you said, this pain can't kill me, right?" she said with a grin.

Owin looked at her for a second & chuckled. "That's enough. You did much better than you did during our first test. If you keep going at this rate, maybe Warsong won't be impossible" he said a grin. "Take a rest & have brother look after your wounds. Once your better, we will continue" Owin said as Helmer walked over to Setsuna with the usual white aura surrounding his hands.

"You let her win. That's not really your style you know" Bolas said as Owin walked over to him.

"She won't be able to learn anything if she's dead. I had too, don't you think?" Owin said, sitting down in seiza position.

"How good do you think she is?".

"She's good. She's a very good swordsman for her age. Then she has a good head for battle. Though the best thing is that…".

"She knows exactly what you want from her, right?" Bolas finished the sentence.

"Yes. I think she is slowly discovering every little bit of my fighting style. I deliberately had to hold back. If she were ever to learn warsong, she may actually have a chance of beating me" Owin said as he looked at his brother & Setsuna, him healing her while she collapsed from pain.

"Don't you think that makes her a threat? You usually try to kill those who threaten you" Bolas said.

"She's going to need it for the initiation ritual in any case. When that comes, that is when her very soul will be tested. I have to make her strong enough by then".

"…You've changed" Bolas said as he closed his eyes, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"What do you mean?".

"You're becoming…more human I guess".

"Human?".

"You were always like a beast, especially with your past. They don't call you the " Death Incarnate" for nothing. Now though…you're changing at the same rate that she is. You're…becoming more human. I can't think of another way to put it". Bolas said, chuckling & shaking his head.

"It's the same for you as well, isn't it? The old tales of you from before the Mending speak of a Bolas I've never met" Owin said, looking at Bolas.

"Pray you don't meet that Bolas. He is still very much alive" Bolas said with a hint of malice in his voice.

"I'm sure. Though…if she is able to learn warsong, she may be the edge we need against Wilhelm, don't you think?" Owin asked.

"Hmph. You always have two or three different agendas in everything you do. I guess she will though. If she lives that long".

"Yes…she may need a death to spur her onwards. The adversity of death usually brings about the desire for power in people".

"You know anybody good enough for that?".

"A couple. Setsuna places a lot of love on those around her. I have one in mind especially if we need to make her snap. Though…" Owin broke off, pausing.

"Though?"

"I feel…as though I'd rather spare her that" Owin said, his face confused.

"That's what I am talking about" Bolas said.

"What?".

"You're becoming human. Death doesn't bother you, right?".

"No. Or at least, I think it doesn't" Owin said, his face showing his confusion more & more.

"So then what does it matter?".

"I…I don't know".

"She's making you change. Do you regret killing now?"

"I regret nothing I do!" Owin said suddenly, his face becoming completely serious.

"I think you do. Have you ever heard of Himura Kenshin?".

"No, I haven't".

"He was a man in a plane I visited. He was like you, a mass murderer. Though he thought it to be for justice, he killed whoever he was asked to kill, & like you, felt no real remorse. Until he met a woman. Slowly, as he was with that woman, the madness within him began to subside, & he tried to live his life in peace. The woman acted as a sheath, in order to hold back the vile sword that was his madness, & he became a warrior of justice, saving the weak. I think Setsuna may very well become your sheath, if you were to let her" Bolas said.

"A sheath? Something to hold back my madness…" Owin repeated, allowing the thought to run through his head.

"Yes. I think that in training this girl, you may change yourself" Bolas said.

Owin stood silent, watching as Helmer began to finish healing the wounds Setsuna had gained. Would this girl truly change him that way? Owin thought to himself, _Now that I think about it, she has been trying to make me be nicer to everyone. Maybe I should give it a try. _This thought had surprised him. He had never really thought about changing himself.

"I'm not saying it's wrong for you to change like this anyway. Just remember: No matter how much you change, you will never be able to change your past. It was the same for that man, & so it shall be the same for you. Your soul is too stained for forgiveness".

Owin stood silent. He didn't know how to reply.

"Owin-san! We can continue with the training" Setsuna said as she called Owin over from where she was. Owin got up & walked over, his mind still distracted by what Bolas had just told him. Was he truly going soft in his sense of killing? Was it really so wrong to kill? All his life he had been raised to believe that killing meant nothing. Everyone dies eventually. Was it so wrong to end a person's life quicker than what was predestined? How could that be wrong? He was raised that way. Even if it was wrong, would he be truly at fault?

Owin was disturbed from his thinking as Setsuna tapped his shoulder. "Owin-san, are you okay? You seem distracted" Setsuna said. "There's nothing wrong. Go get your sword" Owin said as he shooed the girl on her way. _There's no point in worrying about it now. It doesn't matter anyway_, he thought as he materialized his sword from thin air so that it nestled snugly in his hand, it's long familiar weight comforting. Setsuna ran back to a spot about fifteen feet from where Owin stood, her sword already raised in her battle stance.

"Now then, Setsuna, you will learn how to put up a barrier. For someone learning the Warsong, this is one of the most important basics" Owin said.

"A barrier?".

"That's what I said. Not all Warsongs are quick to work, & require that you wait for sometime before you are able to fight. In those wait times, we are left very open, & thus it becomes imperative that you are able to put up a quick but strong barrier to protect yourself. For that, you will need your ki. Are you ready?".

"Yes".

"Now then, I want you to focus a large amount of ki into your hand, as much as you can spare" Owin said as he watched. Setsuna raised her hand & closed her eyes in order to concentrate.

"Don't close your eyes, Setsuna. You must be able to do this even with hundreds of soldiers breathing down your neck. Closing your eyes during a battle leads to death" Owin said.

"Yes sir" Setsuna said automatically. While it did help, closing her eyes to concentrate was not necessary. Her Shinmeiryuu, while being very different from the strange fighting style she was now learning, still helped in certain places. Before long, Setsuna's hand was glowing with her ki.

"Now, I want you to spread your ki outward in front of you, just like a shield. Make it as hard as you can, hard enough to turn away any sword that may come at you" Owin instructed. Setsuna concentrated more & the blue flame that was her ki became flat & rested against her palm. Doing as Owin had said, she then manipulated the ki so that it extended outward around her, a perfect shield. Setsuna looked over at Owin's direction when she saw him disappear. Already sensing attack, Setsuna twisted so meet Owin's blade as he appeared directly behind her, her shield just barely blocking the blow.

"Your attention is still good I see" Owin said with a look of satisfaction. "However," be began as he suddenly teleported behind her again. Setsuna twisted to block the blow, but once again Owin's speed had caused her to turn in a bad position. Owin then pushed her & Setsuna fell to ground.

"You lack the concentration to use the foot technique. In order to fight effectively you need to constantly have you feet coated & you must be able to bring up your shield within a moment's notice. Not doing that will equate to death, Setsuna" Owin said as Setsuna laid on the ground, slightly embarrassed that she was still being beaten like a child.

"Yes sir" Setsuna said as she got back on her feet. As she was getting up she saw Owin disappear suddenly & reflexively brought up her arm to shield against him with her ki. Right where she thought he would strike he did, his sword clashing harshly against her shield. Instantly Owin disappeared, & thinking quickly, Setsuna brought as much ki as she could spare into her feet. Her feet coated, Setsuna slid herself to block his midsection swipe to her ribs with her sword. Instantly Owin teleported for a third time & Setsuna brought her sword upwards to block the overhead strike that would have spilt her head open. Concentrating her ki into her hand, she brought it close to Owin's chest & let go, causing a huge explosion. Not feeling Owin's chest when the blast should've connected, Setsuna used instant transmission to move to her right, in case of a follow-up attack from Owin. He appeared right where she had been a few seconds earlier & pulled a pistol out from inside his jacket, pointed it at her & began to fire. Setsuna used the slide technique to it's fullest, dodging the bullets like a figure skater. As she dodged the very last one, she could feel Owin teleporting behind her, & focused her ki into her back as a makeshift shield. The blow from his sword shook her back hard, but not enough to hurt her. Setsuna brought her sword up & around, then did a backward thrust to stab at Owin from behind her. The thrust bounced weakly off of Owin's arm as he then brought his gun against her neck & pulled the trigger. Instantly Setsuna could feel the burning hot bullet blow past & through her neck, exiting out the other side along with a huge amount of her blood. Her body seized up as her arms reached to her neck by instinct, attempting to stop the unchecked blood flow, her sword dropping to the floor. Owin, giving the girl little reprieve, teleported to her front & thrust his sword to her chest. Setsuna, most of her attention focused on the should-have been fatal wound, concentrated her ki into her one arms & smacked Owin's sword away weakly. As the sword was knocked away, Owin let go of it with one arm, using it to grab the collar of her shirt. Owin then twisted in the opposite direction & threw the girl over him & to the floor. As she laid on the floor, Owin brought his sword over high & brought it down to stab her head. Setsuna just barely moved her head to dodge the fatal sword point, brought her arms up to her head to stand upside down. Hooking her feet around Owin's head, she picked herself up using her toned ab muscles in attempt to give Owin a Franken Steiner. Predicting the move, Owin then grabbed her calves & lifted the girl slightly higher, then slammed her down with brutalizing force in a power bomb. The move caused more blood to spit out from Setsuna's neck, & she screamed in pain. Sensing victory, Owin brought his fist up to finish it. Setsuna then got up on her arms again, but this time she pushed off the ground to slam kick Owin in the stomach, sending him back a few feet away. Setsuna then flipped backward into a crouching position, breathing hard. Due to her windpipe being ruptured, the girl could barely breathe, & she was beginning to lose consciousness.

"You are progressing rather nicely, Setsuna. Much quicker than expected" Owin said as he watched the girl struggle in stopping the blood flow. Setsuna was so distracted that she barely heard him. "Would you like to stop here & get healed?" he asked.

"Please…I-I…can't talk…" Setsuna said in a rasping voice, her voice barely audible, every vowel causing her immense pain.

"Yeah fine, go get healed. We continue as soon as your done" Owin said as he stabbed his sword into the ground, put both hands onto the pommel, & closed his eyes in meditation. She was certainly getting better. He had to say, her potential was amazing. Her skills increased with every battle, & she understands a style almost as soon as she sees it. If all they could do was even the playing field slightly, she might even have a chance of beating him. All she needed to do now was master the warsong. _I wonder…could she be ready for the initiation ritual now? It usually takes many years of training for someone to be ready for that, & she doesn't even have any Keldon blood within her…No…I'm rushing too much. If she has the potential, it will manifest itself when it is time. There's no need to rush these things…Besides, even though she is doing very well, it is only because I'm holding back. She still has much more to go. _Then, Owin began to laugh inside. _I'm getting pretty excited. I can't wait to see how much she grows. It's almost like watching my own daughter grow up, _Owin remarked as he opened his eyes to look on as Helmer healed the large hole in her neck. Though he didn't show it in his face, Owin smiled inside.


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I don't own Negima or Magic the Gathering. Not mine? Got it? Not mine!_

_Chapter 10_

_Setsuna awoke from her sleep troubled. She had dreams of her last training session with Owin. She remembered how she basically fought him for five straight days, in the plane that they had brought her too. In that plane, time passed differently then it did in this plane. Their five days equaled about a half day here. No matter how tired she was, Owin would not allow her to sleep. All he would do was heal her so that her wounds no longer hurt. The white healing spell did not heal her fatigue, & still, even though she could barely stand on her feet, Owin would not allow her a moment's rest. __You're progress is too good to stop now, _he would say happily as she fell to the floor from exhaustion. He would press her & press her into constant fighting. Every time she would lose, being too wounded to continue. Even now she still remembered the pain. Being run through with his sword. Being shot in the neck. Having her head cracked open by a knee. Having her arm broken. Though she no longer bared the injuries, her body still remembered. Setsuna was so tired that when they had arrived back home she went straight into her bed & passed out. She looked at the clock groggily & nearly screamed. She had apparently slept for three straight days, & now it was twelve o'clock. Setsuna hurriedly got out of her bed & nearly fell from the strain. "You shouldn't push yourself right now" she heard a voice say from behind her. She looked to see that Helmer was sitting on a chair nearby. "I…I'm late for class" Setsuna said as she struggled to get up, her body barely responding to her demands. "We explained everything to Negi. He is willing to overlook your absence" Helmer said as he walked over & helped Setsuna back into bed. 

"But…Ojou-sama" Setsuna began, only to be cut off by Helmer. "Brother & I have been watching her, through intervals. Nothing has happened to her" Helmer said as tucked Setsuna in. "I'm sorry for all this" Setsuna said. "Don't be. Your rather lucky. In our home, you would have only gotten one day of rest before the training began again. I explained to brother that your build is weaker than ours, so he was willing to let you rest a bit longer". 

"…has anything happened?".

"Nothing of importance. Nicol Bolas has left us, apparently having other matters to attend to. Your friends have been themselves, & Negi was angry about our training methods. He & Brother got into another argument".

"Negi-sensei & Owin-san?".

"Yes. Considering how often Negi pushes himself, I don't think he has any right to get angry, don't you think?" Helmer asked, & he & Setsuna laughed. 

"Thank you very much, Owin-san. I don't know if I can even move right now".

"It's no problem. Brother said to wake up already, you've missed too much time for training. I told him to leave you alone" Helmer said as he got up to get her some water.

"Helmer-san, why is Owin-san rushing through my training so much?" she asked. 

"He's not actually. That training is normal" he said as he sat down & gave Setsuna the water. Setsuna took it but did not drink at first, staying just staring at the cool water. "I can't believe people could live through that. To me it seems as though he is rushing me" she said. 

"You lived through it didn't you? Don't worry about it so much. We had different builds than you people did, so we could afford to train more. Anyway, this is just to prepare your body for the Warsong. If you didn't go through this training, your body could explode the day that you finally use it. Your training is more like preparation" Helmer explained. 

"I could explode?".

"Yes. From the raw, unchecked power. You are not a natural born Keldon, so the warsong will be even more strenuous on your body. If you can learn it that is".

"Were your body's really so unique?" Setsuna asked as she finally sipped the tea.

"Setsuna, in the Multiverse, just about every power shows itself at least three times. Perhaps it is under a different name, but always at least three. That is a peculiarity of the Multiverse. That is what makes the Warsong so unique. It never repeats itself. In all of the Multiverse's recorded history, the Warsong is only used in one universe: our home. We still haven't discovered why, but no other universe in the Multiverse has been able to support the Warsong. You are also a peculiarity yourself".

"How?".

"Your build is nothing like a Keldons, you belong to a backwater universe in the Inner Rim, & there is no power in your world like the Warsong. & yet, despite all that, you have the potential to learn the Warsong. We can hear it in you. It is very quiet, very hushed, but we can still hear it. It's just waiting to come out. Hopefully you will be able to bring it out".

"But Helmer-san, why is it that it is so important that I do learn it? I barely know you & Owin-san, but you both just appeared from nowhere & told me all these things. Its like…like I'm being forced to learn this, being forced into this situation & no one's even bothering to ask what it is that I want" Setsuna said, tears beginning to come out, falling into the cup of tea. Helmer could only stare at her for a few seconds so that she could compose herself, before he finally spoke. 

"Setsuna, I am not trying to force you to do anything. If you want to stop…then perhaps I can convince brother to end it. I'd rather you didn't though. Your going to find that this training will help you immensely. Even if you are unable to master the Warsong. If you want to stop, we won't make you" Helmer said as he got up to leave. Setsuna stayed silent, tears running down her cheeks. He had opened the door before she finally said "Wait!".

"What is it?".

"I…I don't want to quit. I'm just…a little overwhelmed by everything. Please ignore what I just said".

Helmer stayed quiet before he finally left, saying "I understand".

Owin was laying down, sprawled on the roof with his hands behind his head, admiring the sky. It was near sunset, & the sky was painted a magnificent shade of orange as the clouds rolled by. A cool breeze was going by, & all the students of the school were heading for their dorms or homes, classes done for the day. Owin suddenly heard a familiar clink of boots on the roof, & his brother laid down next to him on the roof. 

"How is she?" Owin asked. 

"Sleeping. She's healing normally".

"When do you think she will be ready to train again?".

"Perhaps by tomorrow".

"Good. We mustn't let her slake too much". 

"Hey, brother".

"Hmm?".

"Does she really need to train?" Helmer asked, with a slight hesitation in his voice. 

Owin got up once he heard this. 

"You know the answer, brother. We need her" Owin said with a slightly more authoriatic tone. 

"But brother, if she doesn't want the power, they maybe we shouldn't force her. Aren't we only training her for our benefit?". 

"Firstly, we are not training her for our own benefit. Secondly, she has said herself that she wants the training. Thirdly, you know as well as I do that we need her to rebuild our home. How in the world can we do that with only two people? We need as many allies as we can muster" Owin said, clenching his fist. 

"But brother, I still think that what we are doing is wrong. We're using the girl!".

"We aren't using her. We will train her & make her stronger than she has ever been before, & in repayment, she will help us. I'm sure she won't have any objections to that".

"We're putting too heavy of a burden on her! Just because we are planeswalkers doesn't give us the right to just pluck her out of her world in order to help us with your own desires! She'll be nothing but a tool!".

"That's enough" Owin finally said. Though he had not raised his voice, it commanded enough power to cause Helmer to be quiet. Helmer stayed staring at his brother, waiting for him to speak. Finally Owin looked at his brother. 

"Brother, I know full well the burden we are putting on Setsuna, but she is the only one who can do it. We have been searching for two hundred years for someone capable of mastering the Warsong. We can't afford to find one after all this time & just let it slip by our fingers. If we stop now there's no telling when we'll find someone else. It has to be her. Wilhelm is growing too powerful, especially now that he has learned plane-infusion. Wilhelm won't feel any pity in destroying any number of planes if it will help him achieve his plans. We have to stop him at all costs. You know the kind of person Setsuna is. If she were to know why we are training her, I doubt she would voice an objection. She would probably be more than happy to help us".

"In that case, than shouldn't we explain everything to her at least? You know she doesn't take betrayal very well. If we are entrusting her with something like this, we should at least have the decency to be completely honest with her about it".

Owin looked toward the sky & thought about the prospect. Could they afford to explain everything to her? Would she be angry when she discovered everything? If Owin could help it, he didn't want to have to her lay everything out for so easily. 

"Why don't we wait until after she has at least awoken the song? Like after the initiation ritual. We can explain everything to her then" Owin said finally. 

"Don't you think that defeats the purpose though? We will have already put her though much pain in that case".

"Not necessarily. We train her so that she receives the power just like we agreed. Then, once she has gotten the power, she can decide for herself whether she will help us or not. This way we hold up our end of the deal & the decision will be all her own. How do you feel about that, brother?" Owin asked. 

"Can you honestly not think of a better plan than that?" Helmer asked his brother. 

"That's the best plan I can come up with. It's not that bad is it?".

"No, but still I think we should be more honest to her about it. It feels to me as though we are betraying her. I feel wrong about this brother".

"No one ever said this would be easy. We must do as is necessary. It is our duty as the last of our kind".

"I understand that but…".

"Put it out of your mind, brother, we have other things to think about. Do you think that Setsuna will be ready for the initiation ritual soon?".

"After only two classes? Surely she will need more. Didn't we use to have to wait at least five years before we received the initiation ritual? & we are of Keldon blood. Surely she will need more time".

"Ugh. That's exactly what Nicol Bolas told me. I know that myself but somehow I can't help but think we should do it now. Something tells me she will need to go much quicker than before. I don't know what however".

"So are we back to you worrying about Wilhelm? She will be of no help if you insist on rushing her through her training. Rushed training is as bad as no training at all".

"I know, but I can't erase this feeling from my mind. Then there's also the fact that Wilhelm has learned plane-infusion. Only our master knew that forbidden technique, & Wilhelm killed him long ago. How could he have learned the technique when our master is the only one with the records about it?".

"Perhaps he found something out in another plane? Or perhaps another planeswalker showed him the technique?".

"I don't know but I think we need to look after this matter more thoroughly. If another planeswalker showed him the technique, it means he may have found an ally. Though, Wilhelm isn't the type to just suddenly find someone to work with".

"Hmm. What do you propose we do?".

"I think we should go investigate ourselves. I think we can leave Setsuna here by herself for a few days".

"Hands-on investigation then huh?" Helmer said with a grin on his face. 

"That's right. Let's go tell Setsuna about it".

The young girl was dreaming. She was fighting someone, a giant man covered in jet-black armor, a man that completely towered over her, with a sword as large as himself. Lightning flashed overhead as rain pounded on her body. She looked at her hands & saw that she was wearing the most magnificent green armor she had ever seen. Every inch of her body was covered in the armor, & it looked strong enough to deflect a bomb, yet it was as light as a feather to her. She was not using her usual long sword, but rather a much larger broadsword, just as big as the one the man was carrying. She shouldn't have been able to lift it, yet the sword was as light as her armor, & she wielded it skillfully. The sword was beautifully engraved, & had the same jade color as her armor. Her environment however, was not so elegant. There were large abandoned buildings, tall skyscrapers that were old & decrepit. The sky was black as the storm continued, & the entire time Setsuna heard not a single sound. This disturbed Setsuna as the storm & rain should've been as loud as a hurricane, yet all she heard was silence. Until she listened closer. Then she heard what sounded like a song. It was a beautiful song, with a full chorus singing in a language she had never heard. They sounded as though they were singing of a great battle, & somehow, she understood the message they were trying to convey, but yet, not the words. She knew they were singing of two warriors fighting to the death, both of them living a sad existence. They were friends, & yet their lust for battle was tearing them apart. Suddenly, Setsuna's body began moving on it's own, & she charged at the enemy, who stood stock still. Time seemed to move slowly to her, as though she herself was running slow. She could feel the rain bouncing off her armor, could see as suddenly the man's eyes glowed a fiery red, & his hand moved his sword at lightning's pace. Their swords were about to smash-

"SEC-CHAN!!".

Setsuna was awoken by a large scream from her best friend, & before her eyes were even open Konoka had jumped into her arms & was hugging her franticly, crying into her shoulder. Setsuna's body ached, but all the same she patted Konoka's head & noticed that Negi & Asuna were standing at the doorway watching the two girls.

"Ojou-sama! What's wrong? Did something happen?".

"Where were you Sec-chan?! I was really worried about you! & then Owin-han & Helmer-han bring you home & you looked like you were dead!!" Konoka screamed with tears in her eyes. 

"Yeah what happened with that? Was the training that hard?" Asuna asked as she stepped into the room & took a seat at the sofa. 

"Ah, yes. I was training with Owin-san in another world" Setsuna explained. 

"Another world? You mean like what he was talking about? Planes-walking?" Negi asked. 

"Yes. I was gone for about half the day, but since time moved differently there, we actually spent about five days there training".

"You mean you stayed there training for five days?" Asuna asked at a loss fro words. 

"Owin-san explained all that to me. He didn't let you sleep didn't he?" Negi asked seriously.

"Yes. We stayed training for the whole five days" Setsuna explained as Konoka finally let go of her. 

"That's going way too far. There's no need to go to such extremes just for training. Don't you think I should talk to him about it?" Negi asked Setsuna.

"No, Negi-sensei, there's no need for that. I already feel much better than I did before".\

"Besides Negi, doesn't Eva-chan give us similar training?" Asuna asked.

"Hehe, now that I think about, that's true" Negi asked as he laughed scratching the back of his head. 

"You all don't need to worry. Even though his training is hard, I do feel the results. I feel much stronger than I did before" Setsuna said trying to reassure them. 

"Anyway, who was that guy that you three were with?" Asuna asked. 

"Guy?".

"Yeah, the one that looked something like an elf?".

"Setsuna immediately knew that she had meant Nicol Bolas. She remembered now that Nicol Bolas had cast that spell that erased people's memories, & knew that the three probably didn't remember the colossal gold dragon that had suddenly appeared from the sky.

"Oh, that was a friend of Owin-san & Helmer-san's. He's a planeswalker like them".

"Really? Is he helping you with your training too then?" Asuna asked. 

"No, he just wanted to watch. He said that I had potential".

"Hmm. Well anyway, guess what Sec-chan?" Konoka asked suddenly excited. 

"What is it, Ojou-sama?".

"We're having a field trip to Hokkaido!" Konoka yelled.

"Oh yes. That's right. It turns out that the principal needs me to help out with something in Hokkaido, so in order to not make it seem odd, he's declared it a special school field trip" Negi said with a smile. 

"This is gonna be great! Now I can work off all the stress from training" Asuna said stretching & grinning. 

"What is it that you need to help out on, Sensei? Is it similar to your mission in Kyoto?" Setsuna asked suddenly anxious. She had reason to be. The last time the school had had a school field trip, she, Asuna, Negi, & Konoka had all almost died from an attack from some renegade Kyoto magicians.

"No, it's nothing that dangerous. He just wants something delivered to a friend of his that he cannot get into contact with so easily. Besides, we don't need to worry about Tsukiyomi or Chigusa-san now that Owin-san had killed them" Negi said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Setsuna knew that despite the fact that they were enemies, Negi didn't want Tsukiyomi or Chigusa dead. If he could help it, he would've wanted to have been captured & brought to justice. To Owin however, she knew that killing them was simply a game, a way to alleviate his boredom & show Setsuna his strength. Whenever she had thought they had died for those reasons, Setsuna felt a small hint of guilt inside her. 

"Aren't you excited, Sec-chan?" Konoka asked as Setsuna had gone quiet. 

"Yes. I'm happy Ojou-sama, don't worry" Setsuna said. 

"Now that I think about it, doesn't that mean that Owin-han & Helmer-han are going to come with us? Since they're bodyguards & everything" Konoka asked Negi. 

"Yes. Since that is their jobs, they will be coming with us" Negi said.

"Somehow I get the feeling that the class is going to be a whole lot less excited when they find this out" Asuna said as she imagined all the girls giving Owin cold glances. 

"I'll speak to Owin-san about that. Maybe I can convince him to leave everyone alone" Setsuna said. It had certainly worked the last time. 

"Convince me to do what?" they had suddenly heard from the door. They all looked to see Owin & Helmer stride into the room.

"Nothing, it's just that we are having a trip to Hokkaido next week" Konoka said happily. 

"Ah, Owin-san, about that, the principal said that as bodyguards, you & Helmer-san are to guard everyone during the fieldtrip" Negi said. 

"I will not be able to. Brother & I have business to take care of" Owin said dismissively. 

"Business?" Setsuna asked. 

"Yes. The fact that Wilhelm has learned plane-infusion disturbs me. The only one who had known that forbidden technique was our master & Wilhelm killed him ages ago. This means Wilhelm may have found an ally. It is of dire importance that we look into this matter" Owin explained. 

"You guys might lose your jobs if you just take off suddenly" Asuna warned. 

"The whole point of taking the job was to find Setsuna. It doesn't matter now if we get fired or not. Besides, Setsuna will be more than enough to handle anything right now" Owin said looking at her with a grin.

"Eh? But Owin-san, I've only had two classes, there's no way I could have gotten any better that quick" Setsuna said. 

"You'll see. Don't fight until you absolutely have too. Then you will see what I mean" Owin said as he materialsed the sword that he had given Setsuna for her training. He gave it to her handle first & she picked up the once heavy blade very easily. 

"In any case, you all have fun on the trip. I doubt it, but if we end up coming back quickly, we'll try to catch up to you all. It would be nice to see the rest of this country" Helmer said with a smile. 

"Setsuna, I leave it to you" Owin said as he turned & exited the room, Helmer following from behind.

"Some bodyguards they are" Asuna said. 

--

Sorry about the lack of an update, but I just recently got over the cold & was unable to really work on this. Turned out that I was staying up way too late too many times & ended up getting sick from exhaustion. I decided that since I had posted in so long that I was going to make this chapter shorter than it originally was going to be. Here begins the Hokkaido chapters.


	11. Chapter 11

_Note: I don't own Negima or Magic: The Gathering. I am however the proud owner of volume 23 of Negima in Japanese. Yes I can read it. _

_The Einzburg-Planeswalker Chronicles_

_Chapter 11_

_Setsuna was looking outside the window at the large moon as the train continued to speed by, Konoka's head using her as a pillow as she slept. It was 3 A.M. & Setsuna had woken up for some unknown reason, couldn't sleep again, & had finally resolved to simply staying up until morning. She could see the large mountains that Hokkaido was famous for as everyone continued to sleep. True to their words, Owin & Helmer hadn't come with them, & they were nowhere to be found for all the time until the trip. Setsuna wondered where exactly they were, but knew there was no point in worrying. Her main problem was that she had been told that her favorite sword, Yuunagi, the sword she had been given when she first started training, was most likely not going to be fixed. Her teacher Yuuko-san said that she had sent to Konoka's father to see if he could fix it, but he had said that there was most likely no chance it would ever be wieldable ever again. This had hurt Setsuna, as she had truly loved that sword. It had seen so many battles with her, & had always been her constant companion, but more than that, it was the pain of learning a new style. She had found that ever since learning the warsong, she was using her Shinmeiryuu techniques far less, almost never, instead relying on Owin's teachings. Now with her sword destroyed, to be replaced with the broadsword that Owin had given her, it felt as though the part of her that began training with Shinmeiryuu, the old her, had died, giving birth to a new her. It was like a part of her died. _

_Konoka fidgeted on her shoulder as she tried to get more comfortable. Setsuna looked at her & her breath was taken away. Konoka was completely bathed in the moonlight, & she had looked more beautiful than Setsuna had ever seen her before. A hot blush had risen to Setsuna's cheeks she shook her head trying to get the thoughts out. Ever since she had began going to this school, Konoka had been growing from the young girl that she had played with as a child into a beautiful young woman. It was almost to the point that Setsuna didn't know if she could take it. She knew the feelings she had were completely wrong, but she just couldn't contain them. Not only was she supposed to be Konoka's bodyguard, but both of them were girls. It wasn't right for girls to…to…to…._

"_Kiss me…" Konoka had suddenly said, her eyes still closed. Setsuna almost had a heart attack. What had Konoka just said? __Kiss me?_, had she said?_ We mustn't do something like that, Ojou-sama!_, Setsuna had though in a wild state of panic. "Kiss me…Please…" Konoka had whispered again, & again Setsuna had to keep her urges in check. _I can't do something like that Ojou-sama. I…Were both girls! Girls shouldn't do something so indecent!_, Setsuna thought as the blush had completely overtaken her face. She looked again at Konoka, & still the moonlight had shown beautifully on her face, her lips puckered. Setsuna's heart beat in her head as she began to get light-headed. _Would this be okay?_ she thought dizzily. _If she is asking me to, shouldn't I?._ "Please…If you really love me, kiss me…Please…I want you…to be my first…" Konoka said in a whisper. Now Setsuna almost could have sworn that she was having a nosebleed. _D-d-did she really just say she wants me to be her first?!!!!, _Setsuna thought in a wild stupor as Konoka inclined her head in order to give Setsuna better access to her lips. _Could she really mean she wants me? But…If I'm her servant, than I have to do what she says right? What should I do?. _By this time Setsuna was already half-giving into her urges & half futilely attempting to stop herself. Gradually Setsuna began moving closer to her, almost licking her lips in anticipation. Her heart beat in her ears, & the world gradually seemed to fade away. They were no longer on a train, sitting down. They were in their own little world, with just Setsuna & Konoka's waiting lips. All the time Setsuna's nerves hit her with panic & anticipation. This was harder than fighting thousands of demons. Closer…closer…Setsuna could feel Konoka's breath coming from her parted lips…closer…Setsuna had to move her head or else they would bump noses…closer…their lips were about to touch…Setsuna's head was in a complete panic….

"Kiss me…Watanabe-han…"

It was like the record of Setsuna's life had suddenly scratched. Watanabe? Setsuna backed away as though as she was hit in the head. Watanabe?

"Please kiss me…Watanabe Ken-han" Konoka whispered again with a smile on her lips. 

"Why the hell are you dreaming about the actor for!!" Setsuna yelled in a whisper, all the stress she had just built released. 

Despite how angry she was, Setsuna couldn't help but smile & laugh to herself, it was so like Konoka. Sleep finally coming back to her, Setsuna laid back on the pillow her seat had came with, & immediately fell asleep. Of course, because this had happened, she was not awake to hear Konoka call her name in her sleep.

*******

Dominaria was as busy as it always was. The streets busted with activities as merchants peddled their wares & everyone sat to see the various street performers. Owin & Helmer walked through the streets undisturbed as they wore new disguises. Owin was dressed in a unadorned black wizard cloak with his favorite white-silver hair flowing down to his ankles, his sword hanging on his waist. He took the form of a hard-worn mercenary in his early-forties, with tight, big muscles that took shape around the cloak. He gave himself the liberty of having a scar which wound its way from his left eye down to the point of his mouth. Helmer on the other hand took the form of a wizened old mage with blue hair that reached down to his waist. He wore a finely woven cloak colored in white & blue, along with a large oak staff & his sword also hanging by his waist. Together, they looked like a traveling wizard with a bodyguard, & everyone wisely left the scary pair alone. The two brothers walked with a purpose as they cut a line through the busy streets until they reached a large castle that stood right in the middle of the town square. Owin walked right up to the handsome oak door & knocked two times, waited, knocked three times, waited, & then knocked a single time. Instantly a small square eye viewer opened in the door, & two beady little eyes stared out at them as a gruff voice followed. "Who's there?".

"Two men who could make your life very miserable if you do not let us in" Owin said impatiently. "Oh its you two" the voice said as he opened the door & let the two planeswalkers in. The old man was about in his late-fifties with shaggy white hair, tattered clothes & a limp. The inside of the house, however, was splendidly decorated with a fireplace & comfy chairs for guests to sit. "Now who might you two be wantin' to see?" the old man said as he crossed the room to a nearby cupboard. "We need to locate the planeswalker Memnoc" Owin said. "Oh Memnoc huh? Haven't heard from him in a while. Still, it's hard locating a planeswalker. Can't you just use your telepathy to find him?" the old man asked as he examined countless bottles, each one filled with odd colored dust, before shaking his head & replacing it. "If we could've done that we wouldn't need your help now would we?" Owin said sarcastically. "I'll be expecting my usual fee" the old man said as he continued examining the bottles. "Of course, Right here" Helmer said as he placed two brilliantly colored jewels on to a nearby table. The old man looked at the jewels from afar, nodded, & continued examining the jars until he found one & grunted his approval. He then walked over to the fireplace & threw the dust into the fire. Instantly the deep red of the fire transformed into a radiant blue. After quite some time, a man's face appeared in the fire. He wore a small black crown, & seemed to be in his mid-thirties. He was bald on the top of his head but had black hair on his sides, with a small goatee. 

"What is it, Ivan? I'm quite busy at the moment" Memnoc said in a terse voice. Owin walked up to the fire & said "Greetings Memnoc. It has been quite some time since we last spoke". Memnoc looked at the mercenary in front of him & said "Who in the nine hells are you?" with a puzzled look on his face. "It's us, friend Memnoc. Your Uncle's students" Helmer said as he changed his illusioned face. "Oh my. Helmer, Owin, my good friends, It has been long since we last talked! How good to see you two in good health!" Memnoc said, apparently overjoyed at seeing the two men. "Indeed it has, good friend. We have something we need to talk to you about if you have the chance" Helmer asked. 

"I see. Right now I am sadly busy but what about tomorrow? We can meet at my home in the plane of Sembria & talk at ease".

"That will be fine. We will be staying here in Dominaria in the meanwhile. Contact us through the usual means when it is alright for us to come" Owin said. 

"But of course. I suppose you two will be not be staying at an inn then? You should do so once in a while for comfort's sake".

"It's fine. It's what we usually do anyway" Owin said. 

"In that case, I will contact you as you said. Then until tomorrow" Memnoc said, & his face disappeared from the fire. 

"Thank you for your services" Helmer said to Ivan as he & Owin turned to leave. 

"Of course. Please come again" Ivan said with a toothy grin as he examined the two jewels. Outside the house, Owin & Helmer continued to walk down the bustling street. 

"For what reason would Memnoc have in hiding himself from Planeswalker communication?" Owin asked, his eyes narrowed. 

"Perhaps he is being sought out by someone? Avoiding a challenge?" Helmer suggested. 

"He is being targeted? Either way, we must be careful of him" Owin said. 

"Come now brother, he is our master's nephew. He treated us like brothers when we were still learning. Surely we have no need to be wary of him" Helmer replied. 

"Keldon code number 14: Even friends & family can become enemies" Owin quoted, & his brother looked at him with sadness. In the street, everyone was still cowering away.

*****************

They had finally arrived at the Inn they were staying in at a mountainside. Negi tried to get his class of hyper-active school-girls under control & into their groups. By the end of the sorting, Setsuna had been grouped with Asuna, Konoka, Nodoka & Haruna. She judged that he had dileberaltly picked the members of this group as they were almost all his fighters. That meant that whatever mission he had been given, it would probably involve a battle. Setsuna began to worry. She would have rather had Konoka be away form the fighting, but being that she was one of Negi's partners, it really couldn't be helped. 

It had then been decided that the girls could only leave the inn with their teachers, & that they must be in their designated groups at all times. Negi had explained to all of them that they in the three days that they would be in Hokkaido, they would all get to tour the city, then come back to the inn at about five p.m. Around the time that all the girls were getting ready for bed, & after they had had all gotten dressed in their kimonos, Negi had called all the of his pactio partners into a separate room. 

Setsuna sat in seiza position with her back to the wall, while everyone else sat on comfy cushions that had been left by the inn owners. Since they had so often fought with them, Kaede & Ku-Fei had also come to the meeting. Negi finally walked into the room & sat in front of them. 

"Okay everyone, I've called you here in order to explain the meaning behind this trip. Just like our trip to Kyoto, this trip is a cover for me to deliver something for a friend of the principal's. However, we should run into significantly less trouble than we did before, since Tsukuyomi & Chigusa are no longer alive. However I do not want us to be caught off-guard like we were last time. I want everyone to be on guard & to keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. It would be best if we could avoid any danger before it manages to come out" Negi said seriously as everyone silently nodded. "Because of that also want you all to make sure that the others don't get themselves into trouble or arouse suspicion. The principal told me that no one should know about his friend living here, so there should be no problems, but even so, be careful everyone" he finished. 

"Negi-sensei, what kind of friend is this friend of the principal?" Nodoka asked. 

"Well, apparently he is living in seclusion after some events happened, so he has quietly retired. It seemed as though he was doing some rather large research before he decided to retire" Negi said. 

"Somehow that sounds rather suspicious" Asuna said with a grim look on her face. "Konoka, have you ever seen this guy before?" she asked. 

"No, I've never seen him before, I don't know many of grandpa's friends" Konoka answered. 

"So do you know where this person is, Negi-bozu?" Kaede asked. 

"Apparently he lives somewhere in these mountains. He knows that we are coming, so we should expect to hear from him tonight. Then he will let us know exactly where he lives. When that happens I would prefer to go by myself" Negi said hesitantly. 

"Oh no you don't, baka-Negi. Where you're partners so we're going to go wherever you go, right?" she asked everyone, who responded all with nods. 

"That's how I thought you would all feel" Negi said with a slight chuckle. "In that case we are going to have to leave during the night-time so as not to arouse everyone's suspicions. I'll let you all know once I have received this man's message" Negi finished. Everyone then began to get up & leave. Setsuna couldn't help but wonder about what kind of man this friend of the principal would be. 

**********

Sembria had become quite known as a scholarly city, being that it was one of the most visited planes in the multiverse. Located only one hundred planes away from Dominaria, it was known for the abundance of White mana flowing from it, thus becoming a sea of tranquility & peace, where the greed & selfishness of black, or the chaotic, rebellious attitude of red was strictly not tolerated. It had also become known to be the home of many planeswalkers. Planeswalkers, being a race of otherworldly beings bent on gaining knowledge, who were more adept at constant travel rather then settling down, were not known for calling any place a "home". Having a home equated to having a place for planeswalkers to challenge or illegally assassinate. Thus only the most powerful planeswalkers who were utterly sure of their abilities ever stayed in one place for more than a while, much less told others he had a home. Memnoc Planeswalker was one such person. Being trained by his uncle, the legendary master of the Einzburg brothers, he had gained a reputation of being extremely strong, & his record of three hundred ninety-five wins & zero losses also managed to scare away any courageous rookie who had decided he wanted a taste at the big time. Another notable feature of Memnoc was that he was extremely kind & caring. It had been no secret that while he had been training them, Memnoc's uncle placed more focus on the brother's training rather than his own nephew's, & yet, Memnoc did not mind in the slightest. He had known from the moment that he had met them that the brothers were meant for great things, & rather than grow jealous of the attention, he instead helped them in any way that he could, & proudly told anyone who would listen that he was best friends of two of the most powerful planeswalkers in the universe. While he was no blood relation of theirs, both brothers thought of him as such, a planeswalker brother who would do anything for them. It was this knowledge that caused such apprehension within Helmer as they walked to Memnoc's home. To think that Owin had thought of even him as an enemy showed that given the correct circumstances, Owin may even think that Helmer himself could be an enemy. This angered & saddened Helmer endlessly. Even though I've done so much for him. Even though we have been through so much together. Even though we said time & time again that we would do anything for each other. Even then he would think of me as an enemy a the drop of a hat. It had been those words that saddened him yesterday. 

_Keldon code number 14: Even friends & family can become enemies. _

"Even family" Helmer whispered to himself. 

"Did you say something, brother?" Owin asked, looking behind him as they continued to walk. 

"Do you truly think that Memnoc would betray us? Memnoc, who we have always thought of as a brother? Just from such a simple thing?" Helmer asked. 

"I would prefer not to think that way, but I do not want to be caught off-guard. You can never know where a planeswalker's loyalties lie" Owin said simply. 

"In other words you're never going to trust anyone, are you?" Helmer asked. Owin kept silent, & Helmer sighed. Just as he thought. 

They had finally arrived at Memnoc's large mansion. The home was colored white like most of the houses located in this plane. The door was large enough to fit a small carriage through, in order to match the expansiveness of the house. It was ordained with gold & silver along the exquisitely detailed carving, as the door was made of wood. Their was no doorbell or knocker on it, because instead it had a rather large & well-maintained spell surrounding the entire building. In order to test it, Owin approached & touched the force-field, which automatically repelled him. Suddenly a booming voice rang out around them. 

"_**WHO'S GOES THERE? BE YOU FRIEND OR FOE OF THE GREAT PLANESWALKER MEMNOC?**_" the voice rang out. 

"We be Owinheim Planeswalker & Schrothelm Planeswalker, too who have accepted the great Memnoc as allies & as a surrogate brother. We mean you know harm" Owin said to the force-field. 

"_**INDEED YOU ARE, GOOD FRIENDS. WELL MET & WELCOME**_" the voice rang out, & all at once the large force field dropped & the door opened to show Memnoc there, ready to greet them. He was dressed in a lavish purple gown lined with gold along the edges, along with the same small crown that he had worn when they had contacted him. "My dear friends how good it is to see you again" he said jovially as he took both brothers in a large embrace. "Indeed good to see you again as well, brother Memnoc" Helmer said, returning the hug. 

After the greeting Memnoc then ushered both brothers into his home. The walls were made of pure pearl which magnified the light in the room until it was almost blinding. They were led into a large sitting room complete with a roaring fireplace & comfy sofa chairs. 

"Come sit while I make us some tea" Memnoc said as he left into another room. As soon as he left the room Owin leaned toward his brother. "Tell me, do you not think that he is being much too friendly?" he said, suspicion etched in his voice. "Really? I have always thought of him as such" Helmer said lazily. 

"You're much too trusting brother. I feel as though something is amiss".

"Don't tell me it is another one of your feelings?".

"Indeed. That's why I am warning you!".

"But brother, really, Memnoc? I just can't believe it".

"Keep your guard up just in case" Owin said as Memnoc returned from the kitchen carrying a silver tray with a steaming pot, three teacups, & small row of cookies. 

As he poured both brothers some tea, Memnoc said "I'm sure you two never get to know the pleasures of sitting by a fire with a warm cup of tea, do you? You ought to take some time to relax & get your minds off of things". 

"Well you know how brother is, he's never quite taken to these type of things" Helmer said as he sipped the tea. Owin in the meanwhile did not drink the tea but helped himself to a cookie. 

"We have something we need to talk to you about, Memnoc" Owin said. 

"Always straight to the point, aren't you, young Owinheim? Well, that's a good thing about you in any case. Straightforward & honest" Memnoc said nodding his head as he sipped his tea. "What is that you wish to speak to me about?".

"Have you seen Wilhelm or had any contact with him?" Owin asked. 

Memnoc's face then turned a dark color & he seemed angry. "Owinheim, you must understand we are talking about my dear uncle's killer. I assure you, if I had any kind of contact with him, I would've killed him by now. Or at the very least died trying".

"Then, do you at least know if anything of Master's is left? Any kind of scroll or document or artifact?". 

"Nothing I'm afraid. Everything was destroyed, including his plane. Why do you ask?".

"The last time that we fought him, we learned that he has learned plane-infusion" Owin said. Instantly the color faded from Memnoc's face & his lip began to tremble. 

"He's what?!! He's learned plane-infusion? How can that be?! The only one's who knew that technique were Uncle & Nicol Bolas! How could he have learned it?!".

"You truly don't know anything about it? Anything that Master may have left behind that would shown Wilhelm how to use it?" Owin asked seriously. 

"Nothing. The day that Wilhelm killed Uncle, he also destroyed the plane on which Uncle had made his home, your own training ground. Everything that Uncle had was destroyed along with the plane" Memnoc said. 

Owin sighed & said, "Then it is as we have feared: Wilhelm has gained some ally with knowledge that extends since before the Mending".

"If that is true then these are dark times indeed. Who in their right mind would trust someone like Wilhelm?" Memnoc said, his fist clenched in anger. 

"Then we must be on our way. We must confer with Nicol Bolas in order to find some way to counter Wilhelm's planned course of action" Owin said getting up, Helmer following suit. 

"Ordinarily I would ask you two to stay a while longer, but this takes far more precedence. If you have need of assistance, please feel free to ask" Memnoc said with a smile. 

"We may have to make use of that offer" Owin said as they arrived at the door. They had just stepped out of the door when Owin stopped, turned around & asked: "By the way, Memnoc, why were you shielding yourself from Planeswalker communication?".

"Oh that? I'm running from a challenge actually. I think I've earned my time away from battle for a while" Memnoc said laughing. 

Owin's eyes narrowed, & finally he said "I see" as he & Helmer left & Memnoc went back into his home. 

"So now what? We see Nicol Bolas?" Helmer asked as he turned to his brother.

"I think he was a bit too quick to answer" Owin said. 

"Memnoc?".

"He gave an answer we were expecting, & said it really quick too".

Helmer sighed as he looked at his older brother. "So you're still suspicious of him. Why don't you admit that he was okay? What is the matter with you brother?".

"I have a bad feeling about it" Owin said. 

"Oh, great, another one of your feelings" Helmer sighed. 

Then they heard Memnoc scream from inside his mansion. 

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For the few people who are still reading this fan fiction, I humbly offer my most deepest apologies over how late this new chapter is. Between learning Japanese, playing Persona 4, watching Kamen Rider's Kiva, Kabuto & Blade & with my problems in real life, I have found almost no time to continue my writing. Not to mention that I have recently become a proofreader & prospective translator for a Scanlation group. I've had a lot on my plate with all this. While I haven't been actually writing the fanfic, I have been trying to use the time to work out the story in my head. Rather than write out the basic plot, I prefer to let the ideas flow through & just write where the story takes me. I find this to be the best way of writing. That being said, thank you very much for sticking with the story so far, & I hope you continue to read it. 


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